Alasdair Allan MSP

Many energy meters in Scotland presently rely on this service. Upcoming changes, responsibility for which sits with the UK Government and which are being implemented by energy suppliers, mean that support for RTS energy meters ends on June 30 2025 and from July 31 2025 meters may no longer function properly.

It is feared this could cause disruption to heating and hot water supplies, and households and businesses using the technology could end up with higher bills.

Dr Allan has written to the UK Government urging them to introduce penalties for companies who fail to replace the RTS with smart meters.

Although Scotland has around 10% of UK households, it has more than 25% of the UK’s RTS users. As of October 2024, more than 165,000 households and businesses in Scotland were still using the RTS with rural and island areas, including Orkney, Shetland, Argyll and Berwickshire, among the most affected areas. Glasgow City, Highland, and the City of Edinburgh are also among the most affected local authority areas.

Dr Allan said: “It’s concerning to see that more than 165,000 Scottish households and properties are still using the RTS service.

“If RTS equipment isn’t replaced by the switch-off date, not only could households, businesses, and public sector organisations be limited to a more expensive single-rate tariff, they may also no longer be able to rely on their heating and hot water switching on and off as expected, with the risk of them staying permanently on or off. 

“I have written to the UK Government to record our growing concerns around the RTS switch-off and to highlight that significantly more needs to be done to protect consumers and maintain access to affordable energy.

“I believe that there must, as a matter of urgency, be RTS-related obligations included in Ofgem licence conditions on both suppliers and the Data Communications Company (DCC) that compel both to use every tool available to ensure households and businesses across the country are not left behind.

“If consumers have any questions, I encourage them to contact their supplier in the first instance. Free and impartial advice and support is also available from Advice Direct Scotland or Citizens Advice Scotland.” 

Although 99.3% of the UK is covered by the smart meter communications network, there are many parts of Scotland, particularly rural and island areas, where it is not currently accessible.

Dr Allan also therefore requested that energy companies offer a suitable alternative to communities who cannot access the smart meter communications network and called on the UK Government and Ofgem to update current regulations to allow the DCC to use mobile technology to provide a signal to those rural and island locations.