Village wins court battle to say no to Linky meter

Residents of one village will be able to choose freely whether or not to have controversial new Linky electricity meters fitted, a court has ruled.

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Enedis, the company that runs the national electricity distribution network, aimed to replace all the old meters with the new Linkys, which can be read at a distance, by 2021.

Now it has lost a legal dispute with the mairie of Romilly-sur-Andelle, a Normandy village of 3,000 inhabitants in the Eure.

The mairie wanted to allow people a free choice, which was opposed by Enedis.

The Rouen administrative court found in favour of the mairie and ordered Enedis to pay €1,000 costs.

The Linky meters have been criticised for several reasons, including alleged health risks and data protection.

They are said to have advantages over current meters, including allowing real-time monitoring of usage patterns, which can help companies offer a bigger range of tailored offers.