Borders MSP Rachael Hamilton recently joined a meeting with the UK Government and key stakeholders to raise the concerns of local people over the phasing out of Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters.
Several thousand households in the Borders still use RTS meters to switch between tariffs and control heating and hot water.
The switch-off of RTS meters was originally meant to happen in June this year but has been pushed back as tens of thousands of households across Scotland are still waiting for replacement meters.
As of September, nearly 3,000 meters in the Borders were still to be replaced.
In order to raise the concerns of constituents and push for a faster rollout of replacement meters, Rachael Hamilton MSP recently met with the UK government minister for energy consumers, Martin McCluskey MP, alongside representatives of Ofgem, Smart Energy GB and Energy UK.
Borders MSP, Rachael Hamilton, said: "The replacement of RTS meters needs to happen at a much faster pace to ensure that nobody is at risk of disruption to their heating or hot water.
"At the current speed, it may take almost a year to replace all the meters in the Borders alone.
"Without a replacement, the RTS meters may default to the last signal received and turn heating on or off, which could be very concerning, especially for elderly or vulnerable people.
"I've heard from many constituents who need a replacement yet they're not receiving clear communication from suppliers.
"This discussion with the UK government and key stakeholders was useful but I hope they will listen to what local people are saying and act to speed up the replacement of meters.
"Quicker action is necessary so nobody faces serious disruption over the winter months."
