The Daily Record reports that households and businesses could lost control of their heating and hot water systems when their old meters begin to stop working at the end of June.
It comes as freezing conditions hit Scotland, with temperatures potentially dipping as low as -20C on Friday night.
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SNP Minister for Climate Action Alasdair Allan has urged the UK Government to take “urgent” action on the issue.
It comes after Stephen Flynn called out Keir Starmer at PMQs this week for his cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment amid freezing temperatures.
The Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) still controls energy tariffs for many Scottish homes by sending signals via the BBC’s longwave transmitter.
However, this will not work from June 30 and tens of thousands of homes have still not received an upgrade, leaving fears that some could be left without heating and hot water.
The deadline has already been extended, but alarm is continuing to grow over the roll out.
Allan has written to the UK Government about the potential consequences of homes not having the new meters.
He told the Record: “It’s concerning to see more than 165,000 Scottish households and properties are still using the RTS service.
“IF RTS equipment isn’t replaced by the switch-off data, not only could households, businesses and public sector organisations be limited to a more expensive single-rate tariff, they may also no longer be able to rely on their heating and hot water switching on and off as expected, with the risk of them staying permanently on or off.
“I have written to the UK Government to record our growing concerns around the RTS switch-off and to highlight that significantly more needs to be done to protect consumers and maintain access to affordable energy.
“I believe that there must, as a matter of urgency, be RTS-related obligations included in Ofgem licence conditions on both suppliers and the Data Communications Company (DCC) that compel both to use every tool available to ensure households and businesses across the country are not left behind.
“If consumers have any questions, I encourage them to contact their supplier in the first instance. Free and impartial advice and support is also available from Advice Direct Scotland or Citizens Advice Scotland.”
According to Energy Industry statistics from October, the number of RTS properties by Westminster constituency in Scotland sees Orkney and Shetland top the list with 8436.
Argyll is second on 7937 while Caithness is third highest on 6675.
Areas of Scottish cities would also be hit, with Dundee Central home to 5116 old meter properties, Glasgow North 4203 and Glasgow North East 3590.
CEO of Energy Action Scotland Frazer Scott said people are facing a “serious and potentially life-threatening situation”.
“This is a situation that has not been caused by customers but poor planning and execution and it should have had urgent action taken far sooner,” he told the Record.
“When the signal is switched off people are likely to see their heating and hot water stay on permanently or they may find that it simply does not work at all.
“This could leave people without the means to stay warm, damaging health and risking lives.”
An Ofgem spokesperson said: “While suppliers are upgrading RTS meters at an increasing rate, it is still short of where it needs to be and Ofgem will take every step to hold them to their obligations.
“This is why Ofgem set up a taskforce alongside Energy UK, bringing together suppliers and the wider sector to accelerate progress and solve complex technical barriers posed in certain remote regions.
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“We expect suppliers to consider a range of innovative solutions to ensure their RTS customers get on to a metering and tariff arrangement appropriate for them.
“Ofgem has also demanded action plans from every supplier, which we are currently scrutinising to ensure that robust contingencies are in place to protect any customers who remain on RTS meters after the switch-off date.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “We are working closely with Ofgem and energy suppliers to upgrade meters and ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for consumers.
“There are now 37 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small businesses across Great Britain, making up 65 per cent of all gas and electricity meters. These are helping to give consumers more control over their energy and save money on their bills.”