As of March 8, some 160,246 Scots households, were still reliant on old meters that rely on the Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) which enables electricity suppliers to switch households different energy tariffs such as Economy 7 or Economy 10 and helps deliver specific savings for customers who use electricity for their heating and hot-water provision.

The BBC radio service that supports RTS meters was due to be switched off at the end of March, last year, as plans to roll out smart meters across Scotland that allows existing heating and hot water to work without needing to use the radio signal has faltered.

Industry discussions which ran from 2023, reached an agreement to extend the deadline to June 30, this year.

Consumers have been warned that after the deadline, systems relying on the RTS signal will not work anymore.

According to the Energy UK  trade association, efforts to replace them across the whole of the UK in April stood at over 1,000 installations a day although it says that  the replacement programme is "gathering momentum all the time".

They accept that the number of installations would have to rise "significantly" to enable all to be converted to smart meters by the deadline.

Meanwhile, it can be revealed that last year Scotland was at the bottom of the British league table over the installation of smart meters, which is due to replace RTS, despite the energy regulator Ofgem writing to energy suppliers raising concerns at the speed of the roll out.

Latest analysis seen by The Herald shows that 51% domestic electricity meters were 'smart' in Scotland last year,  compared to 63% for Great Britain.  In 2023, 43% in Scotland were 'smart'.

A comparison of data against regions of Britain shows that Scotland is bottom of the league table over the take up of smart meters behind London which has the second lowest levels at 45%.

The North East of England and East Midlands tops the table with 70% with West Midlands and the East of England at 67%. Some 63% of meters in Wales are 'smart'.

Of nearly 400 local authority areas of Great Britain the ten areas with the least take-up of smart meters, five were in Scotland.

They are all in some of Scotland's more remote and rural local authorities with Shetland having just a 10% take-up a rise from 7% the previous year, Orkney with 12% up from 9%, the Western Isles Council area of Na h-Eileanan Siar with 16% up from 9%, Argyll and Bute with 27% up from 20% and Highland with 35%. The lowest take-up of electricity smart meters operated by energy suppliers in the UK is in the Isles of Scilly with just 7% converting.

Briefings from Ofgem, the energy regulator over RTS warn that if people choose not to upgrade to smart meter "your heating and hot water may be left continually on or off".

The UK Government said: "We demand that suppliers must meet their obligations to consumers and ensure that no one loses heating or hot water."

Scottish households not transitioning from RTS also face higher energy prices amounting to hundreds of pounds a year.

Frazer Scott (Image: EAS) Frazer Scott, chief executive of Energy Action Scotland added: "The pace of change is too slow, people are being put at risk. They are at risk of losing heating and hot water or face spiralling energy costs if their systems stay on. Suppliers need to communicate better with customers, meet commitments that they meet on installations and get their installers to get upgrades right first time.

"The RTS switch off is an issue that has been a decade in making yet there is only an 11th hour urgency. It is not good enough."

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has already written to energy consumers minister Miatta Fahnbulleh and the chief executive of the sector regulator Ofgem raising "serious concerns" about what it called a "crisis" over the meter replacement effort.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented: “Swathes of rural Scotland are at risk of being left without heating and hot water - or with higher bills - when the RTS signal is switched off in a matter of weeks.

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"This transition should have been a priority for energy firms for years not just in the final few weeks of the switchover.

"There is simply no chance of everyone in Scotland being moved to a new system by the deadline. It is now imperative that suppliers, network firms and regulators work together on a crisis plan to ensure no one is left without energy or with higher bills come 1 July.

"Energy advice groups have been flooded in the last few days with people concerned about what their meter is."

Kenny MacAskill, leader of the Alba Party and a fair energy prices campaigner said the extension to the deadline appeared to have made "no discernible difference".

Kenny MacAskill"Many who face the consequences are the old and the vulnerable in the coldest parts of Scotland. It is well known that the Highlands and Islands have the highest rates of fuel poverty yet are worst affected by this.

"The efforts made have been inadequate with many wanting and willing to have engineers come and do the technical change. But they have waited in vain as there's simply been far too few and far too little funding to deliver it.

"It seems that Scotland is just an [energy] resource to be exploited yet her people are neglected. Turbines turning on land and sea, and pylons and cables taking billions of pounds of energy south, yet Scots are to be denied access to affordable and essential fuel."

The coalition has also challenged the lack of clarity around the regulator’s “no detriment” commitment, which is designed to ensure that people who move from an RTS meter to a new connection do not have to pay more for their energy. 

They have warned that without firm guarantees on this commitment, vulnerable consumers could face higher costs or service disruptions.

They say it puts vulnerable consumers, many of whom are prepayment customers, at a disadvantage as they are unable to benefit from cheaper energy.

Energy Action Scotland has been warning that smart meters are essential if Scotland is to meet not only its net zero ambitions but also its fuel poverty targets.

Ofgem told suppliers last year that it expects that all RTS meters must be replaced with smart meters at least three to four months before the revised close down date, and that operators should not delay this work any further.

According to Department for Energy Security data just three of Scotland's 32 local authority areas had smart meter coverage of over 60% last year - Midlothian (62%), West Lothian (61%) and East Ayrshire (61%).

The BBC has had a long-standing relationship with the Electricity Networks Association (ENA) to transmit Radio tele-switching data on 198kHz alongside the BBC Radio 4 Longwave signal.

Some consumers are unsure about the move to smart meters (Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire) However, the BBC announced in 2011 that the equipment used to transmit the longwave radio signals from its station in Droitwich could no longer satisfactorily maintained and would be not be replaced.

Energy suppliers use it to switch electricity meters between different tariff rates at different times of the day. For example, this could be to send start and stop times to Economy 7, Economy 10, and storage heaters.

The number of homes reliant on this signal was expected to reduce as the roll-out of smart meters progressed. The UK government announced in 2008 that energy suppliers would be responsible for fitting smart meters.

Like traditional gas and electricity meters, smart meters measure the energy use of your household.

The main difference between them and traditional energy meters is that they automatically send energy usage information over wireless networks - similar to mobile phone networks - to the supplier.

They are replacing analogue energy meters across the country and come with an in-home display which shows energy usage in pounds and pence, in near real-time.

They help to control energy use, by showing exactly what is being spent with no more estimated bills or supplying meter readings.

It will remove the costs of meter readings, which are currently added to bills.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman said suppliers should "rapidly increase" the pace of replacements so that there is a "smooth transition and consumers are protected".

The spokesman added: "The Government will do everything it can to ensure that all consumers are protected."

An Energy UK spokesman said: "Suppliers have been pulling out all the stops to replace the remaining RTS meters as soon as possible. This included continuing to contact customers directly through multiple channels, in addition to extensive outreach and advertising campaigns in partnership with local authorities, consumer groups and Ofgem. Suppliers have been contacting and alerting customers about the switch-off for some time now and have stepped their efforts up further in recent months.

“Our main focus is on stepping up installation rates further – currently over 1,000 a day – and continuing this momentum ahead of the deadline. It will undoubtedly be challenging to replace all these meters by the June 30th date – it means getting access to every single property to carry out the installation, many of which are in remote areas, which can make both initial contact and arranging the replacement difficult, and ultimately it requires all customers to respond to contact from their supplier.

“So we urge remaining RTS customers to contact their supplier without delay to arrange a replacement and ensure a smooth switchover that enables their heating and hot water to continue operating in the same way. But we are also working closely with the Government and regulator on a carefully managed phase down process to avoid disruption to any remaining customers, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances."