Delay RTS Shutdown or Compensate Scots

Sluggish Smart Meter Roll-out Risks Huge Energy Bills Hike

The SNP has called for an immediate delay to the planned switch off of Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), or the guarantee of full compensation to consumers.

Dave Doogan, Angus MP and the SNP’s Energy spokesperson, warned that 135,000 Scottish households can’t be punished for the sluggish rollout of smart meters, and said urgent action was now needed to prevent thousands of Scots facing another huge hike in their energy bills.

According to the latest statistics from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), 3351 households in Angus alone are still waiting for their RTS meters to be replaced.

Consumer Scotland has issued a statement on the urgent action required to protect consumers from the impact of RTS meter signal switch-off.

Read more: https://t.co/sA6Cpsvr0j pic.twitter.com/LssyG8QmuI
— Consumer Scotland (@Consumer_Scot) May 2, 2025

It comes as Ofgem again admitted a huge delay in the smart meter rollout, with almost 135,000 Scots still waiting ahead of the planned RTS switch off on the 30th June.

Fears are growing that, unless the switch off is delayed or compensation guaranteed, thousands of Scottish households will face disruption to heating and higher energy bills.

RTS still controls energy tariffs by sending signals via the BBC’s longwave transmitter and in March the Scottish Government wrote to Ofgem to repeat calls for further action to be taken to protect energy consumers as the industry works to replace thousands of meters across the country.

The transition from RTS to smart meters has been sluggish in Scotland. https://t.co/1j5a6nBwvr
— Martin Williams (@MWilliamsHT) May 7, 2025

It is disgraceful that just two months out from this planned switch off, almost 135,000 Scottish households are still being left in limbo – with the genuine fear that they will face another huge hike in their energy bills.

This botched plan now leaves the UK Labour Government and Ofgem with two options – either they now urgently intervene to delay the RTS switch off or they guarantee full compensation to the thousands of Scots who are going to be left paying the price for their failure.

135,000 Scottish households can’t be punished for the sluggish rollout of smart meters, that is no fault of their own.

If Labour and Ofgem fail to intervene now to clean up their own mess – it’ll represent another chapter in the same old story with Scottish communities, an afterthought in another hare-brained Westminster plan.

I have been raising this issue for months now with the UK Labour Government but have been met with constant dither and delay – Westminster ministers seem oblivious to the real fear and anxiety this is causing to consumers, particularly in Scotland’s rural and island communities.

It’s not good enough for Labour ministers to carry on with a plan and a timeline that has already failed, completely ignorant to the difficulties their inaction will cause in Scotland.

With the clock ticking, 135,000 Scottish households urgently need clarity – either the switch off needs delayed or they get a guarantee that they won’t be left with a massive bill in just two months time.
DAVE DOOGAN MP