‘Spring surge’ to replace electricity meters before RTS deadline, minister promises
A “SPRING surge” is being planned by energy companies to replace electricity meters across Shetland before the June switch-off of the radio teleswitch service (RTS).
Energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said the Northern Isles would be the first target for the work in the coming weeks, with thousands of meters in Shetland and Orkney relying on RTS for electricity and hot water.
These will need to be replaced ahead of the signal shutdown on 30 June, though Ofgem has said no household will lose electricity supply as a result.
Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael led a parliamentary debate on the subject yesterday (Tuesday), and said the next three months would be pivotal in ensuring as many people could be switched over.
As well as committing to immediate action, Fahnbulleh said she would reconvene an MP roundtable for the end of April to give an update on the progress.
Carmichael said the “spring surge” was “the last chance to make a success” of the RTS transition.
“It seems that there is a coordinated surge in meter replacement appointments planned for the isles so the more information we can receive on how this will work in practical terms, the better,” he said.
“If we get this right in the Northern Isles then it will build momentum for the whole country to get this done.
“The minister inherited a poor situation from the previous government but she has taken a more proactive and energetic approach than her predecessors.
“If any previous minister had taken this level of interest even two years ago we would be in a much better place today, but we are relying on her and the government to keep pushing so that we get to the best possible – or least bad – position we can get to by the end of June.”
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He added it was also essential that “tariff fairness” was delivered when people received their new meters.
“Ofgem has stated that energy suppliers should give tariffs which would leave customers ‘no worse off’ than their existing tariff arrangement when their meter is replaced,” he said.
“This really is critical.
“It is a promise that has to be delivered both as a matter of fairness and in practical terms, giving families the confidence that they can replace their RTS meter in the knowledge that they will not be worse off.”
MSP Beatrice Wishart also put forward an emergency motion at the Liberal Democrats spring conference at the weekend for the party to call for urgent action on the RTS switch-off.
“It is not clear exactly what will happen when the signal is turned off especially where RTS meters have not been replaced,” she said.
“Storage heaters and the systems that heat water may remain off, leaving households in the cold.
“We need to avoid RTS chaos. We cannot allow anyone to be left without basic hot water and heating.”
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