Government authorises lunch break for automatic water heaters this winter
We thought we’d go with a light hearted headline ‘cos goodness knows, we’ve got enough energy crisis doomsday headlines to last a lifetime!
Key info
Energy providers can switch off the automatic boiler heating function from 12pm to 2pm during the winter months, but you can override the cut manually!
In detail
On 27th September 2022, the French government’s official publication, the Journal officiel, announced that, in the event of tension on the electricity network. electricity suppliers are authorised to suspend automatic signals for switching on devices.
The automatic signals control hot water tanks in the main, but also extend to any other automatically-controlled, timed devices.
The incentive has been put in place to limit midday consumption peaks, and therefore avoid a breakdown in service.
The automatic signal can be deactivated remotely via the Linky electricity metres that have replaced traditional metres in all but a few cases.
The deactivation authorisation is in place for the midday off-peak period (not exceeding 2 hours), from 15th October 2022 to 15th April 2023.
Individuals, professionals and public authorities are concerned by the measure if they meet the following criteria:
- equipped with a Linky meter
- subscribed to a peak/off-peak contract, with an off-peak rate between 12pm and 2pm.
- have a power rating less than or equal to 36 kVA
Users impacted by the automatic midday deactivation will see their water tanks automatically switched on during the off-peak hours of the night, between 10pm and 8am.
They can also manually reactivate their water heaters during the ‘lunch break’, if required.
Other electrical appliances (washing machines, dishwashers, televisions, etc.) operating between 12pm and 2pm continue to benefit from the off-peak rate.
