Customers face heating problems if the meter is not replaced

Around 175,000 Scottish energy customers face major problems with their home heating systems if they do not update their meters in a few months.

The Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) controls energy rates for hundreds of thousands of homes, sending signals to save energy via BBC longwave transmitters.

The signal will be turned off next June, but hundreds of thousands of homes will still need to be converted to the updated system.

If this does not happen, the customer can lose control of heat and hot water, leaving the system either permanently on or off.

The deadline has been extended since last March, but energy regulator Ofgem has said work to replace aging infrastructure must be accelerated.

Charlotte Friel is director of consumer protection.

“Replacement steps are nowhere to be found,” he said BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme.

“The industry has been working on the replacement of RTS for some time and has replaced 200,000 meters this year, but there are still 700,000.

“This call to action is bringing the industry together and emphasizing the speed needed to accelerate the replacement program, allocate resources, get the boots in the right place.”

Some customers may not be aware of the meter being controlled by RTS. But there are clues.

Friel said: “Usually if your meter switches between on and off rates, if your house is heated by an electric storage heater and if you live in an area with no gas supply, this is a typical feature that you may have. “RTS meter. “

RTS switches the meter from off-peak mode. Once the signal is turned off, it means the customer will lose control of their heat and hot water.

This can have different results in different homes.

In the worst case, it could mean that the heat and hot water are on or off permanently.

Ms Friel said: “Some of the challenges are around getting customers to engage with suppliers.

“Providers to reach customers, but they can also play by allowing engineers to upgrade meters.”

He said most cases are direct replacements. There will be some more complicated installations but Ofgem is confident there is a technical solution for everyone with an RTS meter.

Frazer Scott, of campaign group Energy Action Scotland, said there was growing concern about the switch happening over time.

“With the scale of that change in such a short period of time, we’re very concerned that it’s not going to happen,” he said.

“And the consequences are huge for all the households that can be affected when they are killed.”

He added: “It is unacceptable to be late in the day with so little certainty.”

Mr Scott said it was now felt the industry was working together to resolve the issue but described it as the “eleventh hour”.

“It’s worrying, but at least we have finally gathered some kind of task and hopefully this will speed up this change,” he said.

He said around a quarter of affected households were in Scotland and that the country was “disproportionately affected”.

Mr Scott also called for “proper support” for people if heating fails.

“People just want certainty of supply at a lower cost,” he said.

“What we are looking for from the industry is certainty that people’s bills will not go up because of the meter change, which seems absurd.

“But at the moment, we have not received any guarantees from the industry, and it is also unclear who will pay the additional costs if households need them in order to provide a safe supply to their homes.”

Climate Action Minister Alasdair Allan said infrastructure and energy regulation were the responsibility of the UK government but Scottish ministers were “deeply concerned” about the potential impact of the switch-off.

“We have written to energy companies asking them to prioritize RTS customers when proceeding with the smart meter roll-out programme, in line with UK Government targets, and will continue to press Ofgem and suppliers to lead a co-ordinated and effective change program between now and June 2025 ,” he said.

“In the meantime, if consumers have any concerns, they should contact their energy supplier. Free, impartial advice and support is also available from Advice Direct Scotland or Citizens Advice Scotland.