Latest news with #meterreplacement
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
I face losing my electricity but EDF can't replace my RTS meter
I face losing my electricity supply at the end of June when the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), which controls my meter, is switched off. Every time I log into my EDF account I get a reminder and a link to book a visit for a meter replacement, but there are never any slots available. I've been trying since December. On the two occasions I managed to get one, EDF cancelled or failed to show. TK, West Sussex SHA in Glasgow also fears being left high, dry and chilly when the RTS, which switches electric heating and hot water systems between peak and off-peak rates, is phased out. He has been trying to get ScottishPower to replace his RTS meter for 18 months. He was offered an appointment for a date that doesn't exist, and later a date for the previous year. ScottishPower, keen to be helpful, then booked him in one month after the switch-off. Up to 300,000 households could be in a similar predicament, according to reports, because RTS meters aren't being replaced in time for the 30 June deadline. EDF has now confirmed an appointment for TK, and promised to pay the mandatory compensation due for the cancellations. 'If an appointment isn't immediately available, customers will be placed on a priority list to be booked in ahead of the 30 June deadline,' it says. ScottishPower tells me that 80% of its customers have completed, or booked, appointments, and that it has quadrupled its weekly installation rate. It says it has contacted SHA to agree a date. The utilities regulator Ofcom tells me the shutdown will be phased, region by region, over three months, rather than on one day in June. 'Ofgem has 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,' it says. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
I face losing my electricity but EDF can't replace my RTS meter
I face losing my electricity supply at the end of June when the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), which controls my meter, is switched off. Every time I log into my EDF account I get a reminder and a link to book a visit for a meter replacement, but there are never any slots available. I've been trying since December. On the two occasions I managed to get one, EDF cancelled or failed to show. TK, West Sussex SHA in Glasgow also fears being left high, dry and chilly when the RTS, which switches electric heating and hot water systems between peak and off-peak rates, is phased out. He has been trying to get ScottishPower to replace his RTS meter for 18 months. He was offered an appointment for a date that doesn't exist, and later a date for the previous year. ScottishPower, keen to be helpful, then booked him in one month after the switch-off. Up to 300,000 households could be in a similar predicament, according to reports, because RTS meters aren't being replaced in time for the 30 June deadline. EDF has now confirmed an appointment for TK, and promised to pay the mandatory compensation due for the cancellations. 'If an appointment isn't immediately available, customers will be placed on a priority list to be booked in ahead of the 30 June deadline,' it says. ScottishPower tells me that 80% of its customers have completed, or booked, appointments, and that it has quadrupled its weekly installation rate. It says it has contacted SHA to agree a date. The utilities regulator Ofcom tells me the shutdown will be phased, region by region, over three months, rather than on one day in June. 'Ofgem has 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,' it says. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Family faces shock £1,400 demand for meter switch-off or face having no heating
An energy firm tried to charge a Scots family £1,400 to change their meter before it is switched off this month, it has emerged. MSPs and consumer groups last night issued a warning to families that their energy supplier must pay the cost of replacing Radio Teleswitching Systems (RTS) meters. It follows revelations that a supplier tried to charge one Orkney household £1,400 to replace their meter, including £200 for a hotel booking, £382 for a ferry and £820 for a day's work. The supplier – which has not been named – only backtracked from forcing the family to pay when challenged by Liam McArthur, Liberal Democrat MSP for Orkney. It triggered a warning that customers should never pay for work which needs to take place before the RTS system is shut down at the end of this month. As of last month, 124,864 of the RTS meters still needed to be replaced in Scotland. Mr McArthur, said: 'I am deeply concerned to hear reports of some energy suppliers attempting to charge constituents to have their RTS meters replaced with smart meters. 'It is the obligation of suppliers to ensure customers have a working meter, and that there are no upfront costs for customers, including businesses, who pay for their meters through billing. 'Suppliers should also not be telling customers in places such as Orkney that they are required to cover costs related to accommodation or travel for engineers. This is simply not the case.' Mr McArthur said he contacted the supplier and it dropped the demand for payment. The RTS system – a feature of older electricity meters linked to heating and hot water usage – uses a longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off-peak rates. But the technology is becoming obsolete and energy firms have a deadline to change customers' meters by June 30. It has led to concerns that some households could lose their heating and hot water if their meter is not replaced in time. Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, which runs said: 'Suppliers should install smart meters at no cost. If that is not possible, they still have a duty to replace RTS meters with a suitable alternative, and customers should not be charged.' Advice Direct Scotland supported one customer who faced a £700 kitchen repair bill following a meter replacement, and another quoted £1,290 to move a fuse by an inch for a smart meter. Energy UK, which represents most suppliers but not the one responsible for imposing the £1,400 charge in Orkney, said: 'Customers should not expect to pay for an RTS meter replacement. We also urge customers to look out for scammers pretending to be suppliers.' A spokesman for Ofgem said: 'We will look into this and hold to account any supplier that breaches our rules.'
