Radio teleswitch service switch-off postponed over fears thousands of Scots would be left without heating
MSP says it was ‘blindingly obvious’ the deadline at the end of June would not be met.
The radio teleswitch service switch-off has been postponed after fears tens of thousands of Scots would be left without hot water and heating.
Old meters were due to be switched off at the end of the month, but instead there will now be a “cautious and targeted phase out”.
Fuel poverty campaigners said the June 30 deadline was “simply unachievable” and the switch-off was “doomed to failure”.
These meters, which have been in use since the 1980s, use longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off-peak rates.
Suppliers have been replacing these obsolete meters, in most cases with smart meters, but not fast enough to meet the June 30 deadline.
This risked households having their heating and hot water switched off, or stuck on constantly.
As of May, 314,000 households were using these meters - about a third of these households are in Scotland.
Liam McArthur, the MSP for Orkney, says there is “relief” at the postponement, but says there is still a lot of work to be done to get those on radio teleswitch service meters onto newer technology.
Mr McArthur said: “It’s been blindingly obvious for weeks, if not months, that suppliers were nowhere near in a position to switch out the meters that needed to be changed by the deadline.
“The only option was going to be to postpone the deadline or introduce a phased switch-off.
“There is a sense of relief but we cannot underestimate the scale of the work that needs to be done, and there is not a great deal of clarity on how the switch-off will work.”
The Lib Dem MSP says one of the big problems is the lack of “boosted” communication networks in the Highlands and Islands, which is necessary for new smart meters to work.
He said: “There are logistical issues for suppliers too who are taking an individual approach which makes no sense in places like Orkney where you are taking not one but two ferries for just one installation.
“That is hugely costly for suppliers and it means customers are waiting months for appointments.
“The whole system needs to be looked at again as a matter of urgency.”
Mr McArthur warns the teleswitch meters are “on their last legs” and the switch-off postponement risks the out-of-date technology failing and leaving people without heating.
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