Almost a week to RTS switch-off and over 30,000 meters still to be replaced

With almost a week to go before all RTS meters are permanently switched off, Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Andrew Baxter MSP has today (Sunday 21st June) said that it “now looks inevitable” some households will be left without heating and hot water.

Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters receive radio signals to switch between different electricity rates or turn certain appliances on or off at specific times.

The radio signal created by this technology, however, is outdated, so these meters are now being phased out.

RTS meters will be permanently switched off on 30th June 2026.

If meters are switched off before they are replaced, households could be left with no heating or hot water.

Through a freedom of information request to Ofgem, the party has uncovered that in Scotland:

• 30,459 RTS meters will still require to be replaced in Scotland by the end of June 2026, based on Ofgem predictions.
• Based on current Ofgem estimates, energy companies will need to install 6,121 smart meters per week if all RTS meters are to be replaced by the end of June.
• As at 24th April 2026, 36,180 were still to be replaced in Scotland, a quarter of which belong to vulnerable customers who are on the Priority Services Register.
• Of these, 3,641 are located in the North East, 3,519 are located in the South of Scotland, 3,488 in the Highlands, 619 in Shetland and 519 in Orkney.

Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Andrew Baxter MSP said:

“These figures reveal the sheer scale of the failure by energy companies to replace RTS meters on time.

“Many of these meters belong to vulnerable customers in more rural parts of the country, so the impact of the switch-off could be devastating if they are not replaced before the deadline.

“For at least a decade, energy companies have known that RTS meters are on their last legs, making it completely unacceptable that they only started acting at the very last minute.

“I understand that some of the meters still to be replaced may not be affected when the switch-off happens, but it is not at all clear how many households this applies to. In any case, it now looks inevitable some households will be left without heating and hot water at the end of June.

“Both the energy companies and the regulator need to explain what they will do to compensate those affected and swiftly resolve any disruption they subsequently face. In these final days, energy companies should be moving mountains to replace as many meters as possible- that is the very least people deserve."