Beware the great energy switch off - families at risk of power meltdown amid meter upgrade chaos
Around 125,000 Scots are still at risk of losing their heating and hot water when their meters are switched off next month.
New figures show that large numbers of households across Scotland still have Radio Teleswitching System (RTS) meters which are due to be deactivated at the end of June.
A major rush is taking place to ensure they are replaced in time but energy firms are only currently dealing with 5,000 households per fortnight.
It has led to concerns that many of the homes could lose their heating and hot water if their meter is not replaced in time.
According to Ofgem figures provided to Liberal Democrat MSP Beatrice Wishart by Energy Action Scotland, 124,864 of the RTS meters still needed to be replaced across Scotland as at April 18.
The figure had only fallen from 129,814 on April 4 and 134,829 on March 21.
Ms Wishart, who represents Shetland where 4,204 meters still need to be replaced out of 10,600 households, said: 'The RTS switch-off has been depressing, frustrating and entirely avoidable. Frankly it is a national disgrace.
'We have weeks until the deadline but the energy companies are still so far behind. No one should be left without basic hot water or heating.
'In Shetland and across Scotland, it will take over a year for all remaining RTS meters to be exchanged.
We have been promised technological fixes in advance of the switch off, yet we are, at the 59th minute of the eleventh hour, still finding that there has been limited development in technology or greater connectivity to the smart meter signal.
'I urge local authorities and local resilience partnerships to ready themselves for any potential adverse outcomes of the RTS switch-off which may include thousands of homes without heating and hot water.'
The figures show there are still 22,579 of the RTS meters in Glasgow, and 17,175 in Edinburgh.
The UK Government is facing calls to require energy suppliers to compensate any household that requested a replacement meter before the switch-off but did not receive it in time.
Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said: 'With less than six weeks to go until the deadline, these figures lay bare the scale of the challenge ahead.
The replacement rate simply isn't fast enough and must urgently speed up.
'We are continuing to see a rise in the number of calls from worried households and expect this to increase as we get nearer to June 30.
'The system isn't working as it should, putting thousands at risk of losing heating or hot water.
'Anyone who thinks they might be affected should act now and contact their supplier. If you know someone with an RTS meter, especially if vulnerable, encourage them to act.'
Some parts of Scotland with a large rural population are more likely to have households which use the meters for hot water and heating because they are off the gas grid.
The RTS system - a feature of older electricity meters which controls heating and hot water - uses a longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off-peak rates.
But the technology is becoming obsolete and energy companies have a deadline to change their customers' meters by June 30.
Charlotte Friel, director for retail pricing and systems for Ofgem, said: 'We have been continually monitoring the industry's efforts to replace RTS meters as this ageing infrastructure reaches the end of its life.
Last year we decided more needed to be done so convened the sector and made clear to suppliers they have to move faster.
Following that intervention, the rate of meter replacements has increase from around 1,000 a month to more than 1,000 a day.
'However suppliers need to do more and ensure customers are protected from detriment, which is why industry is putting in place a phased area-by-area shutdown beginning from 30 June.
We have made clear that the signal serving a specific area should not be switched off until suppliers have demonstrated that they are ready and able to respond quickly to any issues customers experience.
'While this carefully managed phaseout should reassure customers that they will be protected, it remains crucial that these meters are replaced so I would urge customers to engage with their supplier when offered an appointment - even if it is after the 30 June date that marks the beginning of the process.'
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