RTS switch-off could happen in stages, meeting hears

THE UPCOMING Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) switch-off could be “staged” rather than shutting completely at the end of June, a council meeting has heard.

Shetland Islands Council (SIC) leader Emma Macdonald said assurances were given at a recent meeting of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands that it would not be a “hard switch off”, although no dates were given.

She told a meeting of the SIC’s development committee on Wednesday that information suggested areas with more meters left to be replaced would be switched off later in the programme.

Macdonald raised a concern that if the pressure is eased on electricity suppliers to install replacement meters then this could affect progress.

It comes as nearly 4,000 RTS meters remain in Shetland.

Through a radio signal, RTS helps older meters in homes and businesses change to off-peak electricity tariffs.

However, the radio signal is being switched off on 30 June – with the worry that hot water and heating could be disrupted if people are not on new smart meters.

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A meter may use the RTS if the customer is on a tariff that charges different electricity rates at varying times of day, which are common when electric storage heaters used.

The SIC’s future energy manager Douglas Irvine told Wednesday’s meeting that figures from energy regulator Ofgem suggest that at the current rate of smart meter installation there would still be around 3,000 old RTS meters left in Shetland come the end of June.

Irvine highlighted that is the duty of the electricity supplier to provide the consumer with alternative meters.

SIC depute leader Gary Robinson said he was aware that Ofgem said the switch-off will be “risk assessed and staged” between June and September.

Irvine said he was not in a position to confirm this but did add that there are “rumours that there will be an extension”.

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He also said his “gut feeling” is that something will need to be done.

Robinson said he has a real concern that people are saying they do not want to upgrade to a smart meter because they hear they may not work.

But he said energy companies have an obligation to make a smart meter work for the customer – and that they do not have an obligation to make an old RTS meter work.

Commenting last week, Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart said the preparations for the RTS switch-off was a “national disgrace”.

Ofgem says if someone has an RTS meter, their electricity supplier should have been in touch to arrange an upgrade to a smart meter before the end of June deadline.

The regulator said if a supplier is unable to install a smart meter then it must make sure the customer has a suitable meter installed, and that their service is not disrupted.