MORE than 100,000 Scottish households could face higher energy bills and disruption to heating and hot water when a dated electricity meter is set to switch off in two months' time.
Energy regulator Ofgem has admitted a delay in the rollout of smart meters, making it difficult to replace all Radio Teleswitching System (RTS) meters with smart meters before the old technology stops come June 30.
The RTS system – used by older electricity meters to control heating and hot water – uses a longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off-peak rates.
Ofgem has said the risks associated with not having a functioning meter include heating and hot water left continually on or off, electric storage heaters charging at the wrong time of day, possibly leading to higher bills, and the supplier being unable to confirm electricity usage during peak or off-peak times.
Most homes have standard meters and will not be affected by the switch off, whether they have a smart meter or not.
According to Ofgem and the Scottish Government, there were still 146,302 RTS consumers in Scotland who need to have their meters replaced at the beginning of this year.
The SNP said that this figure currently sits at around 135,000, meaning Scots could face disruption to heating and hot water and higher energy bills as a result, with those in rural and island communities being affected in particular.
The SNP's energy spokesperson, Dave Doogan MP, said Scots were being "punished for the sluggish rollout of smart meters", adding that the Labour Government was being "completely ignorant to the difficulties their inaction will cause in Scotland".
The party called for an immediate delay to the switch off of RTS meters or the guarantee of full compensation to consumers who will be affected.
Doogan said: “It is disgraceful that just two months out from this planned switch off, almost 135,000 Scottish households are still being left in limbo – with the genuine fear that they will face another huge hike in their energy bills.
“This botched plan now leaves the UK Labour Government and Ofgem with two options – either they now urgently intervene to delay the RTS switch off or they guarantee full compensation to the thousands of Scots who are going to be left paying the price for their failure.
“135,000 Scottish households can’t be punished for the sluggish rollout of smart meters, that is no fault of their own.
“If Labour and Ofgem fail to intervene now to clean up their own mess – it’ll represent another chapter in the same old story with Scottish communities, an afterthought in another hare-brained Westminster plan.
"I have been raising this issue for months now with the UK Labour Government but have been met with constant dither and delay – Westminster ministers seem oblivious to the real fear and anxiety this is causing to consumers, particularly in Scotland’s rural and island communities.
“It’s not good enough for Labour ministers to carry on with a plan and a timeline that has already failed, completely ignorant to the difficulties their inaction will cause in Scotland.
“With the clock ticking, 135,000 Scottish households urgently need clarity – either the switch off needs delayed or they get a guarantee that they won’t be left with a massive bill in just two months time.”
In March, the Scottish Government wrote to Ofgem calling for further action to be taken to protect customers during the replacement process.
Meanwhile, campaigners have warned that the delay in the replacement of RTS meters is falling dangerously behind schedule, with energy suppliers unable to meet existing targets and thousands of customers – especially in rural Scotland – still without a plan for replacement.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has written to Ofgem and the UK Government to raise concerns about the pace and communication of the meter replacement effort.
The letter reads: “Based on our members’ conversations with energy suppliers, we estimate that, in Scotland alone, tens of thousands of RTS meters are yet to be addressed, leaving many consumers in limbo.”
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “There is a very real risk that over 300,000 households [in the UK] will find their RTS meter stops working properly come 1 July 2025.
“With pressures on the replacement programme growing and with limited engineer availability, especially in rural areas, there’s a real risk of prolonged disruption, particularly for vulnerable households.”
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
