LINKY METERS – THE (ELECTRO)SENSITIVE SUBJECT
A SUBJECT THAT IS HARD TO IGNORE AND DEBATED EVERYWHERE, THE ISSUES POSED BY THIS NEW ENEDIS-MANDATED DEVICE ARE NOT CLEAR TO SEE: THE LINKY METER
THE NEW LINKY METER, WHY THE SUBJECT IS ELECTRIC
Since 2014, ENEDIS has installed Linky Meters, next generation and communicative, and able to be read remotely.
What does a Linky Meter do? The objective is to allow consumers’ bills to more accurately reflect their actual consumption and to facilitate other procedures. But since the project’s inception, several local objections have been raised, from consumers, associations, groups, and even some municipal governments. Even if ENEDIS is quick to claim all the advantages of the Linky Meter, some consumers see its potential dangers more than anything.
On one hand, the “anti-Linkies” are worried about two things: protecting their personal data and the impact that connecting a new household device that emits electromagnetic waves may have on our health.
For those worried about data protection, the government has been tasked with defining exactly how this data may be used.
However, for those worried about the impact on our health, the few studies conducted do not seem to provide a specific conclusion on the subject. They seem content to simply measure the electromagnetic waves generated by the Linky Meter but have not provided any conclusion or specification with regard to how these waves affect consumer health. As with all our other connected devices, no legislation currently exists, but we should be cautious nonetheless. It is definitely not without risk to our health, and those for whom there is no doubt are those suffering from electrosensitivity.
To date, nearly 1,000 complaints have been filed by those suffering from this illness, with the goal to collectively call ENEDIS into question.
Because, how it stands, the deployment of these Linky Meters has raised serious questions. The company is in fact trying to make this new EDF meter mandatory.
So can we object to the Linky Meter?
The answer is yes. If you prohibit ENEDIS access to your home, they cannot install the meter. However, the company has no problem installing it in the public areas without notice. Amounting to an outright denial of what those suffering from electrosensitivity feel and an assumption that what has not yet been proven must not exist.
We are now in the last stage of the Linky Meter installation timeline, and the first appeals are making their way to court.
If we take into account the gray areas concerning the impact electromagnetic waves have on our health, and the direct impact Linky Meters have on those suffering from electrosensitivity, it would seem that ENEDIS’s Wild West take to the Linky Meter program is reckless to say the least.
Wouldn’t it make more sense for users to have to opt in for this new meter, rather than having to refuse it and fight for it not to be systematically installed in their homes?
If not, users who have been forced to have a Linky Meter installed might consider having electrical network and household environment correctors installed and demand reimbursement from Enedis.
