This winter, as we know, the electricity distributor RTE could be required to make targeted cuts in French departments. For this, a kind of electricity consumption weather report has been set up on the EcoWatt site to relay the consumption of French people and promote eco-gestures. In the event of passage into the red zone, targeted cuts of two consecutive hours could take place during peak hours, i.e. between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
If the authorities want to be reassuring for this end of the year 2022, thanks to the energy savings of the French “you can go on vacation quietly, the probability of using the Ecowatt red device is almost zero”, assured Thomas Veyrenc, executive director of RTE on BFM TV.
But if these power cuts and voltage drops are to be feared for the beginning of the year 2023, they could also damage your electrical appliances or household appliances in your home. No financial compensation is provided for in the event of a cut, but the public authorities and the organizations concerned have provided for these scenarios. An elevator cut off for two hours would not pose any problems, but restarting it could take much longer. The intervention of technicians will be necessary, further penalizing users.
If the Enedis company explains that it is “legally bound to implement these localized cut-off measures. (…) This falls into the category of exceptional events and does not give rise to compensation.” While specifying: “if some of your electrical equipment was damaged, the procedure consists of contacting your insurer as soon as possible, which itself will take steps vis-à-vis Enedis to determine its possible liability”.
The guarantees depend on the option you have taken out in your housing contract, but coverage of electrical damage is often optional, such as the displacement of a professional for repairs.
In the event of damage resulting from a power outage, two guarantees may come into play: the action guarantee of electricity and the fall of lightning and guarantees for the loss of the contents of freezers, explains Matmut to MoneyVox. An appeal is possible against the network manager, but the contents of the freezer will be saved if the cut lasts only two hours.
