RTS: over a year for all remaining meters to be exchanged

Beatrice Wishart has called for urgent action to prepare for the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) switch-off after securing a debate in the Scottish Parliament. Highlighting data from Ofgem and with 40 days until the RTS signal is expected to end, Wishart highlighted that latest figures showed at the rate of meter exchanges in Shetland it would take over a year to complete the 4,000 exchanges needed.  

Across Scotland just over 124,800 meters still need to be exchanged including 22,579 in Glasgow and 17,175 in Edinburgh.

This follows Ms Wishart’s previous members debate in June 2024 highlighting digital connectivity concerns, including issues with energy meters in the islands. Wishart also successfully led an emergency motion on RTS through the Scottish Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Inverness last month which called for:

• Energy companies to expand their efforts to exchange RTS meters and reach all customers needing their meter exchanged ahead of 30^th June.
• Local resilience partnerships to ready themselves for the potential adverse outcome of the RTS switch off which may include thousands of homes without heating and hot water.
• The Scottish and UK Government to set up an Emergency Summit to support Ofgem, energy companies and relevant stakeholders through the transition, holding them to account where required.
• Smart DCC to enhance the smart meter communications network and plug the existing gaps, particularly in rural and island areas, to improve connectivity.

During the debate Ms Wishart said:

“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.

“We have been promised technological fixes in advance of the switch off, yet we are, at the fifty ninth minute of the eleventh hour, still finding that there has been limited development in technology or greater connectivity to the smart meter signal.

“With meter exchanges at the rate they are going it will take over a year for all remaining RTS meters in Shetland to be exchanged, including the Shetland Parliamentary Office meter. 

“Another short extension of the deadline will not solve the issue and if the switch-off is in autumn or winter the problems it will cause would be exacerbated by cold weather.

“As things stand energy companies must increase their efforts to exchange all outstanding meters ahead of the deadline.”

After debate Ms Wishart said:

“Where we have got to with the RTS switch-off is depressing, frustrating and entirely avoidable. 

“Frankly it is a national disgrace.

“We have days until the deadline and yet we are still so far behind and left with questions, which is simply unacceptable at this stage.

“Energy companies have really let us down and no one should be left without basic hot water or heating.”

You can watch Ms Wishart’s speech here.

The text of Ms Wishart’s motion before Parliament can be found below:

Members' Business — S6M-17484 
Beatrice Wishart: Radio Teleswitch Service Switch-off

That the Parliament is concerned that the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), used by energy suppliers for some electricity meters, particularly in island and rural areas, to control heating and hot water systems, is set to end on 30 June 2025, with tens of thousands of customers across Scotland reportedly expected to be impacted as they are yet to have their RTS meter exchanged; understands that, in areas such as the Highlands and Islands region and other parts of rural Scotland, many households are still waiting for a meter exchange and that, as of the end of April 2025, Shetland still had 4,490 meters to be exchanged ahead of the deadline; further understands that energy companies are not replacing meters at the pace required before the deadline; considers that large areas of Scotland face technical issues with connecting smart meters and a lack of engineers; notes the view that functioning heating and hot water systems are fundamental to an adequate standard of living and that changes to metering technology should not leave households, particularly those in island and rural communities, financially worse off than they are on their current tariff, or facing the possibility of losing heating and hot water after the switch-off of the RTS signal; further notes the calls on local resilience partnerships to ready themselves for the potential adverse outcomes of the RTS switch-off, which may include thousands of homes being left without heating and hot water, and notes the calls to plug the gaps in smart meter coverage to ensure that rural areas are not disadvantaged due to their poor connectivity.

You can watch Ms Wishart’s Members debate speech in June 2024 here.

You can watch Beatrice's speech to conference here.

The full text of the emergency motion put to Scottish Liberal Democrat Spring Conference:

Preparing for the Radio Teleswitch (RTS) switch off

Conference notes:

1. The Radio Teleswitch (RTS) service, used by energy suppliers for some older electric meters particularly in island and rural areas to switch tariffs rates and turn on storage heaters, is set to end on the 30th June 2025, with tens of thousands of customers across Scotland, impacted as they are yet to have their RTS meter exchanged.
2. A national ad campaign run by Ofgem and Energy UK, featuring television presenter Lorraine Kelly, that  launched on the 20^th January has sparked increasing awareness among customers of the need to book a metering appointment.
3. Energy companies are not replacing meters at the pace required before the deadline and large areas of Scotland face technical issues with connecting smart meters and a lack of engineers.

Conference believes:

1. Functioning heating and hot water systems are fundamental to an adequate standard of living.
2. Changes to metering technology should not leave households, particularly those in island and rural communities, worse off than they are and facing the possibility of losing heating and hot water after switch off of the RTS signal.

Conference calls for:

1. Energy companies to expand their efforts to exchange RTS meters and reach all customers needing their meter exchanged ahead of 30th June.
2. Local resilience partnerships to ready themselves for the potential adverse outcome of the RTS switch off which may include thousands of homes without heating and hot water.
3. The Scottish and UK Government to set up an Emergency Summit to support Ofgem, energy companies and relevant stakeholders through the transition, holding them to account where required.
4. Smart DCC to enhance the smart meter communications network and plug the existing gaps, particularly in rural and island areas, to improve connectivity.