EXCLUSIVE: Delays to the roll-out of smart meters means thousands of Scottish households face disruption to heating and higher bills.
The SNP has slammed the Labour UK Government for the slow progress of plans that will put 150,000 Scottish households at risk of higher bills and disrupted supply.
SNP energy spokesperson Dave Doogan MP has called for urgent action to increase the pace of progress on replacing Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters. The service switches off on June 30.
Energy regulator Ofgem told Scots to replace RTS meters with smart meters before the start of July.
But the smart roll-out being well behind schedule means thousands of Scottish households face disruption to heating and higher bills.
The UK Government also postponed a meeting with Scottish MPs on the subject this week.
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Doogan said: “150,000 Scottish homes are set to be punished because the Labour UK Government simply doesn’t care – it’s the same old story with Scottish communities an afterthought in another hare-brained Westminster plan.
“The UK Government’s smart meter roll-out is well behind, particularly in Scotland’s rural and island communities, so when the RTS switch off happens in June, it’ll be Scottish homes that pay the price with what could be higher bills and disrupted heating and hot water supply.
“It is beyond belief that this week, with only three months to go until the RTS signal is switched off, the UK Labour Minister responsible for this dither and delay cancelled my meeting with her and other concerned Scottish MPs to discuss this very crisis. Labour have abandoned bill payers in Scotland to their fate.
“It’s not good enough for Labour Ministers to carry on, seemingly completely ignorant to the difficulties their inaction will cause in Scotland.”
RTS still controls energy tariffs by sending signals via the BBC’s longwave transmitter.
Last week the Scottish Government wrote to Ofgem to repeat calls for further action to be taken to protect energy consumers as the industry works to replace thousands of meters across the country.
Ofgem’s data from suppliers shows that between October 2024 and January 2025 around 18,700 RTS meters were replaced in Scotland.
As of January 2025, there were still 146,302 RTS consumers in Scotland who need to have their meters replaced.
The UK Government said Doogan was offered a one-to-one meeting with a minister after the postponement.
A spokesperson for the UK government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: ““We are working closely with Ofgem and energy suppliers to upgrade meters and ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for consumers, particularly those in remote and rural areas.
“There are now 38 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small businesses across Great Britain, making up two-thirds of all meters. These are helping give consumers more control over their energy and save money on their bills.”
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