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The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Thousands to be left without HOT WATER due to energy meter switch-off
THOUSANDS of households are at risk of being left without heating and hot water in weeks due to a shortage of smart meter appointments. Homes with electricity meters that use the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) need to upgrade to a smart meter before June 30 - when the service is being switched off. 1 Some RTS meters automatically turn the heating and hot water system on and off at different times during the day. This means that once the signal is switched off households could find that these systems do not work properly. They could also end up running their heating permanently during peak time, which could cause huge bill hikes. But a shortage of smart meter appointments means that thousands of households will not be able to make the switch before this deadline. None of the major energy suppliers or industry regulator Ofgem were able to tell us how long customers could expect to wait for a smart meter appointment. More than 100,000 RTS meters are still in use, according to Energy Action Scotland. But the meters are only being replaced at a rate of around 1,000 a day, according to industry regulator Ofgem. As a result, some customers are being offered meter replacement dates well after the deadline. An Ofgem spokesperson said: "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. From TV to energy... tips to save you money on 7 bills that are going up in April '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.' Forums online are now inundated with energy customers complaining about being unable to secure an appointment. One Ovo customer said he had been trying to upgrade his two RTS meters since October 2024. An engineer visited his home that month and tried to install the meter but there was a signal issue. How do I know if I have an RTS electricity meter? YOU'LL be able to tell if you have a meter that relies on the RTS quite easily. The oldest RTS-powered meters have a switch box labelled "Radio Teleswitch" located next to the physical electricity meter. Others may have the RTS switch box included within the electricity meter as a single box on the wall. If you're unsure about the type of electricity meter in your home - call your supplier as they'll usually have this information on hand. RTS is also sometimes called dynamically teleswitched (DTS). A fortnight ago his appointment was cancelled due to a system issue. He added: 'I tried to re-book an appointment today but all the appointments had gone and there is nothing left before 30th June. 'I was told by the operator that because it is not my fault the meters have not been changed that I would not lose electricity supply - I have little faith in this happening and dread an electric bill after the 30th of June.' Another said their parents are in a similar position. They said: 'My parents are with Utility Warehouse but their electric supply is through Eon Next. Neither of them have contacted them about the RTS switch off.' They added that when they called Utility Warehouse customer services they were unable to speak to anyone. They tried to book an appointment online but every time were told: 'we're not able to provide you with a smart meter right now. Register interest and we'll get in touch when we can.' Another said: 'I am a British Gas 'customer' on a fixed price tariff. Last October BG advised that my electricity meter was one of the soon to be obsolete RTS type. 'I dutifully signed into my account and tried to request a smart meter … no appointments available. "Since then I have regularly tried to request an install … no appointments.' Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said customers are "in the dark" about the RTS switch. He added: "People are being given dates well after the June 30 deadline for the replacement of their RTS meters with a smart meter, even into August. 'Customers are doing the right thing by contacting suppliers to arrange their fitting, only to be given dates more than a month after the deadline. 'We are also aware anecdotally of people being wrongly told that they have nothing to fear as the cut off won't happen until 2028.' How long do I need to wait for an appointment? Ovo Energy Ovo Energy said it has appointments available to install a meter as soon as possible. However, the availability of these appointments may vary depending on where you live. If you are unsure of what to do or are vulnerable then you should contact Ovo as soon as possible so it can ensure you have an appointment booked in. Customers will be able to choose which tariff they switch to and its specialist team will be on hand to help find the most appropriate one. Octopus Energy Octopus Energy said it has contacted every customer it thinks has an RTS meter that may not work effectively after the switch off. It is installing nearly 20,000 meters a week and said it has the capacity to prioritise anyone who thinks they might lose their heating after the switch off. A spokesperson said: 'It's really important that customers with RTS meters get in touch with us - but we also want them not to worry. Our team is working 7 days a week, and we'll do our very best to make sure that no-one is left without power.' said it will prioritise RTS upgrade appointments and has reserved engineers to ensure it has the capacity to deliver these upgrades. It said all RTS customers should not delay. You should book your smart meter upgrade appointment as soon as possible to make sure your heating and hot water continues to run smoothly. How can I improve my chance of getting an appointment? You should regularly check your supplier's website to see if they have released any new slots. Most suppliers will only let you book an appointment in the next six weeks. You can also ask your supplier how often they release new slots and on which day of the week. For example, Octopus Energy releases new slots on a Monday but you will need to get online early to secure a space. Most suppliers will let you register your interest online so they can notify you when new slots become available. You can do this online through your account. A spokesperson for Energy UK said: "We would only suggest that anyone with an RTS meter contacts their supplier as soon as possible. "Booking a meter replacement appointment now will ensure a smooth change that enables your heating and hot water to continue operating in the same way. "If you are worried that you have an appointment booked after 30 June, this has been taken into account as part of the phase out plan.' Can I keep my RTS tariff? In most cases, RTS customers will be offered a smart meter. The smart meter operates in the same way as an RTS meter on a multi-rate tariff such as Economy 7 or Economy 10. If that is not possible then suppliers must take all reasonable steps to provide a similar tariff, so customers do not see their bills increase. Meanwhile, upgrading an RTS meter to a smart one should give customers access to a wide choice of smart meter only tariffs that should save them money. If your supplier has not contacted you already then you do not need to wait for a letter or email asking you to switch. Get in touch with your supplier directly as soon as you can. What energy bill help is available? There's a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by. If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter. This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period. If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don't think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal. Several energy firms have schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills. But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances. For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000. British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund. You don't need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund. EDF, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too. Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR). The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill. Some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you're struggling. Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
More than 6,000 Dumfries and Galloway properties still rely on RTS meters
The system is due to be switched off at the end of next month, meaning people are at risk of losing control of their heating and hot water systems. More than 6,000 properties across Dumfries and Galloway are still using electricity meters that will stop working within weeks. And new figures show that the vast majority of them are likely to still have a radio teleswitching service (RTS) meter installed when the service is switched off at the end of June. That means they're at risk of losing control of their heating and hot water systems. The figures have been revealed by the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Energy Action Scotland. Lib Dem MSP, Beatrice Wishart, 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. 'Across Scotland, it will take more than 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 11th hour, still finding that there has been limited development in technology or greater connectivity to the smart metersignal.' The data shows that as of April 18, 124,864 properties across Scotland still relied on meters using the RTS system, which controls when they switch between peak and off-peak rates. There were 6,218 properties with a Dumfries and Galloway postcode still with the RTS system – a drop of just 413 or 10 a day from the figure onMarch 7. At that rate, there would still be 5,510 properties using RTS by the end of June. And it would take 632 days – more than 20 months – for all properties to be changed to a new system unless the process is sped up. Chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, Andrew Bartlett, 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. 'Free advice is available at or by calling 0808 196 8660.' Director for retail pricing and systems at Ofgem, Charlotte Friel, said: 'We have been continually monitoring the industry's efforts to replace RTS meters as this ageing infrastructure reaches the end of its life. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. '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 June 30. '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.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
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.'
Scotsman
30-04-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Smart meter: Warning 100,000 Scottish homes could lose hot water and heating when meters switch off
Thousands of people in cities and rural parts of Scotland could see their heating stuck at 'on' when the automatic radio teleswitch service is switched off in June Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tens of thousands of households in Scotland could be left without heating and hot water when a dated electricity meter is set to switch off. Energy companies have said it will be "very, very difficult" to replace all Radio Teleswitching System (RTS) meters with smart meters before the old technology stops come June 30. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Most homes have standard meters and will not be affected, whether they have a smart meter or not. However, campaigners have said some 300,000 homes across the UK that have the old RTS meters could be at risk. Energy Action Scotland (EAS) estimates about 30 per cent of those are in Scotland. One of the Radio Teleswitch (RTS) meters that need to be replaced This means some 100,000 Scottish homes could lose heating or have it stuck on constantly in about eight weeks' time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad EAS said Glasgow was the local authority area with the single largest share of RTS meters left, with about 20,000 still in use in February. Properties using the meters in the islands authorities combined was about 30,000, according to EAS figures, but with a high proportion of residents by comparison. Vulnerable people in remote parts of Scotland could see their heating stuck at 'on' when the automatic radio teleswitch service is switched off in June (Picture: CM Dixon/Heritage Images) | Getty Images The Highlands had about 16,000 RTSs running and Edinburgh 14,000. The governments have called on the industry to "work urgently to continue to increase the pace of replacements". Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For the past four decades, RTS meters have used 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. At the end of March, there were still 430,000 households across the UK using RTS meters for their heating and hot water, 160,000 of those in Scotland, according to Energy UK, which represents energy companies. Frazer Scott, chief executive of EAS, said: 'Time and time again consumers are left in the dark by the government and an energy industry failing to deliver on its promises to deliver improvements. 'Let's not forget that many of these firms are making significant profits from customers and yet their customers, including many vulnerable people, may be left without working heating and hot water or facing the prospect of spiralling costs in just a few weeks' time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The impact of failure in the switchover process on the health and wellbeing of people across Scotland don't bear thinking about.' Simon Francis, co-ordinator of campaign group End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: 'We know the situation in parts of Scotland is likely to be absolutely critical. Rural areas in particular are being left behind and we doubt the engineering capacity is available to help households meet the deadline.' Energy UK has said more than 1,000 RTS meters were now being replaced each day. However, with the March figure of 430,000 RTSs still in use, the daily rate would need to be more like 5,000 to ensure no one is left out. Ned Hammond, Energy UK's deputy director for customers, told BBC Radio 4 the rate of replacement was rising, but added: "Obviously we'd need to increase from there significantly still to replace all the meters by the end of June."
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Smart meter warning issued as 300,000 homes could be left without hot water
Hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK could be left without hot water and heating this year, campaign groups have warned. Around 300,000 properties could still have the old-style Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) system, which is used to control heating and hot water, after it is switched off on 1 July. These homes have been urged to upgrade to smart electricity meters as soon as possible to avoid being disconnected or having to pay extortionate bills. Around 1,000 new meters are being installed every day in the 430,000 households which currently have the old RTS system, but activists say this is not enough to replace them all in time, leaving hundreds of thousands still without new meters as the date approaches. Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: 'There is a very real risk that over 300,000 households 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. 'Government, regulators and energy firms need to face up to the looming crisis and ramp up efforts to help people switch.' Customers may also lose the ability to access cheaper off-peak tariffs and could face inaccurate or inconsistent billing. And in some cases, the meters may stop working properly altogether, the coalition warned. Frazer Scott, chief executive of Energy Action Scotland, added: 'Time and time again consumers are left in the dark by the government and an energy industry failing to deliver on its promises to deliver improvements. 'Let's not forget that many of these firms are making significant profits from customers and yet their customers, including many vulnerable people, may be left without working heating and hot water or facing the prospect of spiralling costs in just a few weeks time. 'The impact of failure in the switchover process on the health and wellbeing of people across Scotland don't bear thinking about.' A Department of Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: 'The technology behind the Radio Teleswitch Service is reaching the end of its operational life and is due to be switched off from June 2025. 'Industry must work urgently to continue to increase the pace of replacements. We are supporting Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for consumers.' An Ofgem spokesperson said: 'The RTS upgrade programme is an urgent consumer welfare issue and Ofgem is determined to explore every avenue to ensure that customers are protected when this ageing 40-year-old technology is phased out from 30 June 2025. 'Ofgem set up a taskforce alongside Energy UK, bringing together suppliers and the wider sector to accelerate the rate of meter upgrades to its highest level yet, and solve complex technical barriers posed in certain remote regions. 'In recent weeks we have seen evidence of suppliers significantly stepping up their activity in these remote areas, such as the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and solutions to improve smart meter connectivity in the north have been launched. 'So we urge any customers who may have previously struggled to get their RTS meter replaced to please contact their supplier again to arrange an appointment. 'Ofgem has also demanded action plans from every supplier, which we are scrutinising on an ongoing basis to ensure that robust contingencies are in place to protect any customers who remain on RTS meters after the phased switch-off process begins.'
