The visit, hosted by Blackwood Homes and Care and facilitated by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), included Ofgem’s chair, Mark McAllister, and director of retail pricing and systems Charlie Friel.

It comes as Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters – which use radio signals to switch the meter from peak to off-peak prices – will stop working properly from 30 June, prompting concerns from housing associations about the impact on tenants.

As part of Ofgem’s visit, the delegation were given a tour of Blackwood’s Raeden Court development in Aberdeen to find out more about the role of social landlords in supporting tenants and communities.

This was followed by a roundtable chaired by SFHA chief executive Sally Thomas which was attended by Ofgem and staff from seven housing associations who have been actively supporting tenants prior to the switch-off deadline.

The closedown planned for June will mean that RTS meters will no longer be able to switch between peak and off-peak rates. There is a risk that this could result in meters no longer working as intended, potentially leaving electric heat and hot water systems permanently on with resulting impacts on running costs and comfort. Some consumers could also be left with no hot water or heating at all.

Responsibility for the issue has been on electricity suppliers to contact affected households to arrange for a meter replacement ahead of the deadline.

During the meeting, Ofgem acknowledged that around 390,000 RTS meters remain in the UK with approximately 135,000 in Scotland.

A significant proportion of those affected will live in social homes, according to SFHA.

Responding to Ofgem’s visit, SFHA chief executive Sally Thomas said: “Time is urgently running out to replace RTS meters across Scotland and prevent thousands of Scotland’s social tenants being left without heating or hot water, or facing the other negative impacts of a defective meter.

“I am grateful for Ofgem’s continued engagement with SFHA and housing associations as we look to support tenants ahead of this looming deadline and look forward to receiving further detail on plans for a phased shut down of the RTS infrastructure.

“Our members have shared concerning examples of poor practices from energy suppliers to date, including cancelled and aborted engineer appointments, and a piecemeal approach to installations despite offers from the sector to help co-ordinate activity.

“Tenants should not be penalised for the lack of progress by energy suppliers who have known about the switch off for more than a decade. We expect Ofgem to hold suppliers to account and ensure there is a robust plan in place to deal with the backlog of appointments.”

Mark McAllister, chair of Ofgem, said: “It was great to visit Aberdeen to meet with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and really valuable to hear first-hand about the customer experience and worries many people have around RTS.

“While we’ve seen so much progress and momentum of the replacement programme, we know there’s still a lot of confusion and anxiety about what’s coming once the signal begins to be shut down from the end of June.

“But people shouldn’t worry – customers will be protected throughout this shutdown process, which will be phased starting with the areas where it will have the least impact. No region will be shut down until suppliers have shown that they are ready and able to respond to quickly to support customers in whatever way they need.

“We will be monitoring their progress and will hold suppliers to account, so we urge RTS customers to speak to their supplier to arrange an appointment to have their meter upgraded urgently – but please don’t be fearful of it.”

Bryan Leask, chief executive of Hjaltland Housing Association and Secretary of the Rural and Islands Housing Association Forum (RIHAF) was among those involved in the roundtable discussion.

He said: “RIHAF were delighted to be involved in the meeting with Ofgem to discuss the impending RTS switch off and the impact this will have on our tenants and communities.

“With less than a month to go until the switch off there are still thousands of RTS meters in Scotland, and given how many of our rural communities are off the gas network it is those same communities that rely on electric heating and are disproportionately at risk. 

“It is a perverse reality that the rural and island communities, that are central to the country’s move to net zero, continue to have the highest level of fuel poverty, which is made more challenging to resolve due to lack of access to new, cheaper tariffs that are only available with a functioning smart meter. 

“It was important that we continue with our dialogue with Ofgem to make them aware of the risks facing our customers and to push them to hold energy supply companies to account in ensuring our tenants face no detriment as a result of the RTS switch off. 

“I applaud Ofgem for continuing to communicate with the sector and believe they are genuinely looking to gain a better understanding of how the smart meter roll out is going and what the implications are, particularly the most vulnerable in our communities.”

Ron Mould, net zero manager for Bield Housing and Care also attended the roundtable discussion.

He said: “It’s reassuring to see that Ofgem is actively engaging with social landlords and seems genuinely interested in understanding the real experiences we and our tenants are having with the meter changes.

“Although it is over 14 years since the first proposals to switch off the Radio Teleswitch Service, we are concerned at the unpreparedness of the energy sector which is evident from the repeated aborted meter installations our tenants are being subject to. We are worried at this and other difficulties that are being reported daily by our tenants however this does not diminish the large number of successful new meter installs.

“Bield also raised concerns of consequential remedial works that might be required following the install of new meters;  to ensure that the heaters and hot water are able to work effectively and for our tenants to fully benefit from the wider range of tariffs available to them.”