This is the problem. Linky is considered to be very accurate, but how can an empty property suddenly consume more than 1000kWh a month upon installation of a Linky meter? Something is just not right. For the last 10 months, all EDF has said is that the Linky meter is more accurate than the old meter. They do not engage in any hypothesis that there may possibly be an error somewhere. This is what makes sorting this out so difficult. I really doubt that EDF would have let me get away with paying up to 90% less than I should for the last thirty years.
They did engage with this very hypothesis and sent a technician to check things out.
No problem was found - whether the tests carried out would have revealed an error is something to explore (asking for a detailed report, for instance) but if you were not present then that limits what you can do a bit. Perhaps EDF would be willing to send someone again but this time when you can be around. How well do you speak French?
Of course EDF trust the Linky - they have 10âs of millions of meters and probably millions of Linky meters in the field and all but a tiny number are accurate and reliable.
Well, what is making it difficult is the fact that you donât want to accept that the ball is in your court in terms of proving the Linky is wrong.
The thing is, whether they like it or not, if they left a meter in your property for 30 years and it was inaccurate in your favour they have little option but to swallow the loss - they cannot retrospectively prove that your consumption was higher, after all.
Youâre right, Iâve probably been using 1000kWh a month continuously in an empty property for the last 30 years without realizing it. How stupid I must be. Thank you for enlightening me.
Calm down FFS - I didnât say that. In fact Iâve tried to give you a lot of hints as to how to proceed with this.
But if you get it into your head that it is EDFs responsibility to fix you are doomed to frustration because they just arenât going to see it like that. As far as they are concerned they have listened to you, sent a technician and no problem has been found. To be honest right now, especially after your little outburst, I am inclined to be more sympathetic with EDFs position.
It is entirely possible the Linky is at fault. It is also entirely possible that the old meter was at fault. Just not very likely, especially in the case of the new meter.
It is also possible, indeed more likely, that there is another problem.
However if it is the Linky you are going to have to invest some time and effort into proving it.
If thatâs too much bother, well, keep paying the bills.
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These are the readings from the Linky meter. From December the readings were set to daily. Prior to that it was monthly.
Rapitulatif de mes index
Date de relevă»de lâindex;Type dâindex;Index (kWh)
12/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;11056
11/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;11028
10/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;11000
09/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10972
08/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10944
07/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10916
06/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10889
05/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10861
04/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10833
03/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10805
02/12/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;10773
06/11/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;9573
06/10/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;8717
08/09/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;8337
06/09/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;8264
06/08/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;7339
06/07/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;6416
06/06/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;5548
06/05/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;4645
06/04/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;3779
06/03/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;2903
06/02/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;2041
06/01/2021;Index transmis par le distributeur;1052
03/12/2020;Index transmis par le distributeur;0
03/12/2020;Index transmis par le distributeur;22814
07/10/2020;Index transmis par le distributeur;22814
07/10/2020;Index transmis par le distributeur;22814
09/10/2019;Index transmis par le distributeur;22198
10/04/2019;Index transmis par le distributeur;21590
Well, it certainly thinks you are using a very consistent 28kWh a day at present, and assuming the point at which â0â was recorded is the point at which the Linky was installed the old meter thought you were using very little, perhaps too little as no consumption was recorded between October and December 2020 - did you have your security cameras/internet etc connected at that point which should be 2-3 units per day?
But that doesnât really get us any further forward.
Have you asked EDF to change the meter just in case it is at fault?
I have set the account to get 1/2 hour readings. I also have a remote lamp that I can switch on and off to test the change in consumption of electricity accordingly.
I have questionsâŠ
-
Do you have a triphasé supply?
-
When the Linky was installed was the main breaker (disjoncteur de branchement) also changed?
I have a theory about your problem, but need answers to the above before I tell.
P.S. I am a professional electrician here in France.
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The technician came in mid-September and said there was nothing wrong with the meter. After his visit, the energy consumption suddenly dropped which you can see from the graph, so I assumed he must have fixed the problem but then it went back up in October.
Only October and November 2020, the period just before the installation of Linky are unusually low. Prior to that period, the reading was less than 50kWh / month.
Will you post what shows up on your 30-minute readings? This is such a gripping mystery.
No one was present when Enedis came to install the Linky meter so I donât know how they installed it.
I simply received an email telling me that they were going ahead with it and that my attendance was not required. This was during the peak of COVID. I couldnât leave the UK. All I know is they installed something outside the property on the public road.
Yes, of course. I set the changes today. I think the app takes 24hrs to update.
Anyway, I would just like to thank everyone who has posted here so far.
As @Badger asks - do you know if it is a monophasé or triphasé supply?
Maybe so but it will be obvious if you have new disjoncteur de branchement. Pictures?
I believe itâs triphasĂ© according to my electrician. I will ask him again to make sure.
Just received a reply from EDF:
"âŠYour consumption is almost the same all the time but started to increase in October therefore something has changed. Maybe your put an electric heater. When your meter is faulty it is all the time. In your case we can see that the consumption changes⊠"
This is very strange. They say my consumption âchangesâ perhaps according to the habits of a household? Maybe my meter really is connected to another household. Weâll see when I get the hourly kWh readings.
According to my electrician, itâs 3 phase plus 1 neutral.
4 phase.
Great picture but one with the door open is more informative 
That aside, as you now think itâs triphasĂ© I can give you my theoryâŠ
As over subscription control is now a function of the Linky meter all disjoncteurs de branchement (DdBs) get set to their maximum regardless of your subscription. A lot of old triphasĂ© ones donât have a high enough setting to allow for what the local grid can now deliver i.e. they (& maybe yours) get swapped as part of the Linky swap out.
There should only ever be one conductor in each connection coming out of the DdB i.e. there should only be 4 departing wires in your triphasé situation.
However, Iâm wondering if someone was previously stealing power either on one phase or on all three. This would have involved there being a second wire in the neutral, & one extra in at least one of the phases. If that was the case itâs possible that although previously disconnected those extra wires got reconnected by a Linky technician swapping an old DdB out for a new one & thus reactivating the rogue load.
The constancy of the extra load suggests it is not some general power but is very much in line with a 1kW heater with itâs thermostat set to full i.e it never goes off. The cannabis farm idea starts to make more sense now.
Another option is that there is another part of your own installation that was tagged off of the DdB - maybe greenhouse heating the other side of that wall?
Disclaimer; all of the above in based on wild guesswork as I obviously have no direct knowledge of the layout of your property.
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Nah. Three phase & neutral. There is no such thing as four phase.