Mum left with £700 kitchen repair bill after replacing energy meter

A mum was left with a £700 kitchen repair bill after being forced to install a smart meter ahead of the nationwide switch-off of old systems.

Christina Milligan, a retired headteacher from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, said she felt “aggressively” pressured by her energy supplier to replace her old Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meter before the switch-off date on June 30.

The 69-year-old said she felt trapped by the need to comply with the upgrade and that her kitchen had been “demolished” to make way for the new meter.

“My kitchen was in place since 1989 and now it has been demolished,” Ms Milligan said.

“When they said I needed to replace my electricity meter, I did not expect to remove my kitchen cupboards. The whole way it has been handled is a shambles.”

Ms Milligan said she had been haggling with customer services to make the transition to a smart meter, but was told they could not get into it because it was in a kitchen cupboard.

“Eventually they told me there was no choice but to demolish my cupboards at my own cost,” she said.

“The total cost was £700 to get it sorted. I was appalled at how complex it was. I had arranged to do it but at one point, they cancelled it and gave no reason.”

She added: “They have taken no account of people’s ability to pay for the remedial work. They do not care at all. There are ways to deal with it rather than issuing these aggressively worded statements.”

Ms Milligan has since been offered £100 from her supplier after repeatedly complaining about the cost of the kitchen repairs.

However, Advice Direct Scotland, which provides free consumer advice, has warned that thousands of other households in Scotland might be in a similar difficult situation ahead of the national transition.

“Christina’s experience shows the disruption households can face when meters are hard to access,” Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said.

“While the meters themselves should be upgraded for free, there can be additional costs.

“That’s why it’s so important to take action before the deadline. With the June switchover deadline getting closer, we’re seeing more enquiries and expect that number to grow.”

While the electricity meters should be upgraded for free, there can be additional costs iStock

According to the latest figures from the UK Government, around 139,000 RTS meters remained in Scotland as of March 7 – 47,277 of which are in the Highlands and Islands.

Ofgem, the national energy regulator, warned that the technology that supports these RTS electricity meters will switch off from 30 June.

“Without the technology to tell RTS meters when to swap between peak and off-peak rates, they may no longer work properly, and it may mean that a consumer’s heating and hot water supply stops functioning as normal,” the regulator said.

As a result, Ofgem expects electricity suppliers to replace all RTS meters before the Radio Teleswitch Service technology ends.

However, Ms Milligan’s case shows that there can be unexpected costs and complications for homeowners.

“Replacing your RTS meter now can help avoid these problems. Suppliers should be contacting customers, but you can also get in touch with them directly,” Mr Bartlett warned.

“If you know someone with an RTS meter, particularly someone vulnerable, encourage them to make the switch soon.”

Energyadvice.scot provides free, impartial, and practical advice on energy bills to anyone in Scotland.
Advisers can be contacted at www.energyadvice.scot and on freephone 0808 196 8660, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.