A Glasgow landlord fears his tenants could be left without heating or hot water after his energy supplier delayed replacing their Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meter.
The service – which uses a radio signal to tell some older electricity meters when to switch between peak and off-peak rates - will end across Great Britain on 30th June and Ofgem expects suppliers to replace all RTS meters with a smart meter before then.
However, landlord David Bateman (main image) says he’s made five attempts to replace the obsolete device at his rental flat and has now been given a new appointment for 28th July, almost a month after the deadline.
“My tenants have been inconvenienced again and again,” he says. “They’re told the installation is going ahead and that the power will go off, then it doesn’t happen. I have no idea why this is proving to be so difficult. The whole thing’s been made worse by how hard it is to get hold of the supplier.”
In April, there were just over 390,000 RTS meters in Great Britain. Energy UK warns that if customers don’t upgrade, they may find their heating and/or hot water is continually left on or off, or the charging-up happens at the wrong time of day.
Their electricity supplier also wouldn’t be able to confirm how much electricity is used during peak or off-peak times, which means costs could be much higher than before.
The RTS switch off campaign is currently being promoted in TV adverts fronted by Lorraine Kelly.
Advice Direct Scotland is also raising awareness of the impending deadline and chief executive Andrew Bartlett (pictured) says with just six weeks to go, the landlord’s experience highlights the real struggles many face trying to replace outdated RTS meters before the deadline.
“His repeated cancellations and delays show that the system isn’t working as it should, putting thousands at risk of losing heating or hot water,” says Bartlett. “The replacement rate simply isn’t fast enough and must urgently speed up.”
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