grannybunz

This firm who are tasked with installing smart meters in France seem to have been creating some controversy.
Our hameau is due to be in their line of sight next week.
Some residents are very much against and we can'e quite understand if they will work or not because we understand that they a reliant on a decent mobile phone signal, which we clearly do not have.
It seems we are more or less compelled to have one by as far as we can see will only benefit the elctricty suppliers not us because there is no indoor monitor.
We are not about to run down to the meter to see if we can save 10cents on our load of washing!!
Any experiences? Comments??

Tweedpipe

GrannyB,
I had to smile at the comment "some controversy". It's true to say that for some time now Linky have been creating H-U-G-E controversy.
Several reasons for this.
i) Why replace equipment that already has perfect fit, form, and function, AND have to pay for it - indirectly of course - with 'installation costs' probably to be neatly wrapped up within vague misc charges. In very new homes many folks have modern electrical equipment that works perfectly and will continue so for many years. Same for many older residences with perfectly serviceable installations.
ii) The possible danger from electromagnetic waves. There has been no formal study as far as I've read to show positively that in the medium or long term there is or there is not not any danger.
iii) In addition to the cost of the device, an official report denounces the quasi impossibility for users to acheive the promised savings.

iv) Many hundreds of potential users have taken joint legal action to oppose the installaton. The key arguement being whether the supplier can impose them on people without a choice. Over 360 mayors have refused to have the devices installed in their communes.

v) The alleged claim that the communicating counter on the Linky device conceals a wide-angle spy camera on the front panel that can send images to the energy suppliers network.
My belief is that the above added links are from reliable sources. For you to decide whether or not they may or not be fake news. Read, digest the info, and make your decision for or against eventual installation.
Don't be concerned about whether the device will work or not and any reliance on a decent mobile phone signal. If they install them, you can bet your life savings that they will work - albeit not nececessarily for all of what the suppliers claim.

grannybunz

Thanks for the links Tweedpipe. Interesting but nor entirely convincing one way or another. I would like to see some scientific evidence to back up claims from bothe sides.

Anyway the matter was completely taken out of our hands this morning. We had a nearly 9 hour electricity cut throughout the region yesterday caused by freakish storms. This morning, jusy after I had put a cake in the oven there was a ring at the door and there stood a man to inform us that the power was to be cut for about an hour. I asked if it was to do with the storm and he told us no they had come to install the new meters. When asked why had we not had notice he gave us the garlic shrug and said it was scheduled for yesterday but the weather was too bad. I told him the weather would be even worse today if he cut off the power without warning and of the oven I had a cake cooking so, as there has been no notice, he would just have to wait until it was out. He did

Chatter Static

As they are putting them in our village at the moment I tend to get a call every day from their installation call centre trying to arrange an RDV for our installation I'm pretty sure they must be getting bored with me hanging up on them, the whole house was wired new about 4 years ago I see no point in changing the meter which can be read from the road side.

Tweedpipe

GrannyB,
It's your call, but in your shoes I'd do everything to prevent them from going ahead. Nothing to stop you saying on their next call that you have another cake (bun?) in the oven, and it's not convenient to proceed with the installation. Attached is an extremely detailed scientific review of the current situation. Enjoy the read....!
Note the green boxed comment near the end of the article, 'Puis-je refuser le compteur Linky'. It would appear that ERDF are not forcing the installations - for the moment.

grannybunz

As all the meters in the hameau. bar one, are external they just went ahead and installed them anyway.while people were are work. At least they did ring on our doorbell. But only because we were at home.

Chris'nJulie

I know that this relates to the UK, but worth a read, anyway.

Smart meters are purely and simply, an outrageous con.

https://www.breitbart.com/london/201...reen-scandals/

Novocastrian

Yeah, Breitbart...it must be true.

Chris'nJulie

But is IS true. And I have far more faith in Breitbart, than I do in many other "news" sources.

Vinosity

​​​​​You really, really shouldn't

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/breitbart/

Chatter Static

Tin foil shares will go up..... and my wife still burns the turkey.

grannybunz

F or goodness sakes get a life. Nothing has happened other than the French electricity system is as erratic as it has always been and preumably always will be.
It's all a conn anyway

Gordon Barlow

Well, a difference of opinion. I consider Breitbart extremely unreliable in respect of its coverage of US politics (strongly conservative), US foreign policy (strongly pro-war) and Middle-Eastern politics (fanatically pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian), but reasonably reliable outside those areas. "Smart meters" being a topic outside those areas, I certainly wouldn't dismiss their story out of hand.

Tweedpipe

Fwiw, UPDATE on Linky situation in France.
It looks like a lost cause for those battling against the installation.