HOUSING associations recently welcomed a delegation from Ofgem to Aberdeen to discuss the impact of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) switch-off on Scotland’s social tenants.
The visit, hosted by Blackwood Homes and Care and facilitated by SFHA (Scottish Federation of Housing Associations), was attended by Ofgem’s chair, Mark McAllister, and director of retail pricing and systems Charlie Friel. It comes as RTS meters – which use radio signals to switch the meter from peak to off-peak prices – will stop working properly from 30 June, prompting concerns from housing associations about the impact on tenants.
The delegation were given a tour of Blackwood’s Raeden Court development in Aberdeen to find out more about the role of social landlords in supporting tenants and communities. This was followed by a roundtable chaired by SFHA chief executive Sally Thomas which was attended by Ofgem and staff from seven housing associations who have been supporting tenants prior to the switch-off deadline.
The closedown planned for June will mean RTS meters will no longer be able to switch between peak and off-peak rates. SFHA said there is a risk this could result in meters no longer working as intended, potentially leaving electric heat and hot water systems permanently on with resulting impacts on running costs and comfort. Some consumers could also be left with no hot water or heating.
Responsibility for the issue has been on electricity suppliers to contact affected households to arrange for a meter replacement ahead of the deadline.
During the meeting, Ofgem acknowledged around 390,000 RTS meters remain in the UK, with approximately 135,000 in Scotland.
SFHA chief executive Sally Thomas said, “Time is urgently running out to replace RTS meters across Scotland and prevent thousands of Scotland’s social tenants being left without heating or hot water, or facing the other negative impacts of a defective meter. I am grateful for Ofgem’s continued engagement with SFHA and housing associations as we look to support tenants ahead of this looming deadline and look forward to receiving further detail on plans for a phased shut down of the RTS infrastructure.
“Our members have shared concerning examples of poor practices from energy suppliers to date, including cancelled and aborted engineer appointments, and a piecemeal approach to installations despite offers from the sector to help co-ordinate activity. Tenants should not be penalised for the lack of progress by energy suppliers who have known about the switch off for more than a decade. We expect Ofgem to hold suppliers to account and ensure there is a robust plan in place to deal with the backlog of appointments.”
Mark McAllister, chair of Ofgem, said, “It was great to visit Aberdeen to meet with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and really valuable to hear first-hand about the customer experience and worries many people have around RTS. While we’ve seen so much progress and momentum of the replacement programme, we know there’s still a lot of confusion and anxiety about what’s coming once the signal begins to be shut down from the end of June.
“But people shouldn’t worry – customers will be protected throughout this shutdown process, which will be phased starting with the areas where it will have the least impact. No region will be shut down until suppliers have shown that they are ready and able to respond to quickly to support customers in whatever way they need. We will be monitoring their progress and will hold suppliers to account, so we urge RTS customers to speak to their supplier to arrange an appointment to have their meter upgraded urgently – but please don’t be fearful of it.”
