Scottish households warned of deadline for energy meters
Less than 50 days are left before the mass deactivation begins on June 30.
Advice Direct Scotland is urging households to act quickly to avoid any disruption to their heating or hot water systems.
Read more: Do I need a smart meter for the Energy Price Cap in July?
The devices set to be turned off are the "Radio Teleswitch Service" (RTS) meters, which operate on outdated longwave radio signals.
The signal controlling these RTS meters will be switched off at the end of June, affecting thousands of homes.
Users are being advised that meters must be replaced as their functionality will cease once the signal is switched off.
The advice comes from Advice Direct Scotland, the operation behind the national energy advice service, energyadvice.scot.
Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said: "With less than 50 days to go until the deadline, time is running out.
"Anyone who thinks they might be affected should act now and contact their supplier.
"If you don't take action and you are still relying on an RTS meter after June 30, you risk having an unreliable heating and hot water system and incorrect bills.
"Of course, it should not all be left up to customers.
"The rate at which RTS meters are being replaced across the country is clearly not good enough and must be ramped up urgently."
Introduced in the 1980s, RTS meters have been helping customers monitor their peak and off-peak energy usage.
Without a replacement for these obsolete meters, customers risk being stuck on a more expensive single-rate tariff or having unreliable heating and hot water systems.
The recent UK Government figures reveal that there around 139,000 RTS meters in use across Scotland, with more than 47,000 in the Highlands and Islands.
However, the rate of replacement appears not to be happening swiftly enough.
At the end of April, there were reported to still be around 135,000 RTS meters in operation, indicating that very few have been replaced.
The campaign by Advice Direct Scotland has highlighted issues faced by customers in getting their old meters replaced.
There are reports of unexpected costs and customers struggling to get their old meters replaced.
One example given is of a 69-year-old North Lanarkshire resident who had to spend £700 fixing her kitchen after being made to install a smart meter before the signal switch-off.
Read more: Fundraising day to honour legacy of former Glasgow Times sports reporter
Mr Bartlett said: "We are getting more and more enquiries coming in about this issue, showing that people are clearly worried about how the switch-off will affect them.
"If you know someone with an RTS meter, especially if they are vulnerable, encourage them to get it replaced soon."
'The most important thing to remember is that free help and advice is available. Anyone who is confused should visit www.energyadvice.scot or call 0808 196 8660 for assistance."
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