Changes to the Heat with Rent Scheme

Overview

The way you pay for your heating is changing.  Your Heat with Rent (HWR) payments are ending and in the future you'll have to switch to another supplier and way of paying for your heating.

Your home is heated through storage heaters. You pay for your heating through a set weekly charge called Heat with Rent (HWR). The amount you are charged depends on how many rooms are in your home.

Your home has two electricity meters: the HWR meter, which is linked to your storage heaters, and the main meter providing electricity for all your other energy needs (e.g. lights, tv, kitchen appliances etc.).  The Council currently pays ScottishPower to supply electricity through the HWR meter and then recovers this cost from your rent

Scottish Power have infomed the Council that they will no longer be able to offer this service.

The HWR charge was introduced many years ago through an agreement between the Council and ScottishPower.  However, due to changes in the energy market, ScottishPower can no longer support the HWR system, and from 1 April 2025 the Council will no longer be able to support and deliver HWR to tenants.  This means the way you pay for your heating will change and you will need to pay an energy supplier directly for your heating instead.

Radio Teleswitch Service Shutdown

The storage heaters heat your home by charging and releasing heat set by a timer called a Teleswitch. This is operated via a longwave radio signal called the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS).  Introduced in the 1980s, the RTS equipment is now reaching the end of its natural life and can no longer be adequately maintained. Therefore, in June 2025 there will be an industry-wide switch-off by the service provider, meaning the timer for your heating may not work correctly and your heating might not work as normal.  To avoid this your meters will need to be upgraded to a smart meter before the RTS shutdown takes place.   

What will happen if I do nothing later in the year?

If a supplier other than ScottishPower provides your main electricity and you’ve not spoken to them, or responded to them when they contact you, then you will automatically be transferred to Scottish Power on 1 April. They will then bill you directly for all energy used through your storage heaters. This could mean that you would be paying two daily standing charges – one for each meter, to each supplier. You may also experience problems in 2025 when the RTS service is turned off.

Why your views matter

We appreciate that many tenants have heated their homes through HWR for many years, so this will be a big change. We also recognise that an action is required of you to contact the electricity supplier to your main meter to arrange bringing the two meters together and to book installation of a new smart meter.  That’s why we want to get in touch now to see what we can do to support you through this change and make it as easy as possible.

There are a number of support services which could help you. A free Energy Advice Service for Council tenants is provided by Changeworks, a Scottish environmental charity which has been giving expert advice and support to people across Scotland for over 30 years. Their advice is free, confidential and impartial and can help reduce energy bills and make homes warmer. They can provide advice and help on energy debt issues, accessing grants applications and finding ways to reduce your energy use.

The Advice Shop and Income Maximisation Service can also help with all aspects of welfare rights including income maximisation through welfare benefits, tax credits and grants. They can also provide advice to resolve any personal debt issues.

What happens next

We want to hear what is important to you and what we can do to support you through the changes to the way you pay for your heating. Once we’ve considered the responses, we’ll be in touch to give you plenty of notice about any future changes.