Households across the UK with one type of electricity meter facing losing hot water and heating from July as a service is switched off.
Energy regulator Ofgem and Energy UK are urging households that still have a radio teleswitch service (RTS) meter to get an upgrade from their energy supplier as soon as possible as these meters will stop working on June 30. RTS meters were first introduced in the 1980s and rely on longwave radio signals from the BBC’s RTS meters to switch meters between peak and off-peak tariff rates. But the equipment which broadcasts the signal is now almost obsolete and is being switched from the end of this month, meaning the meters will stop working properly in a matter of weeks.
Ofgem’s statistics show there are still around 400,000 meters across various suppliers still in use that need to be replaced by smart meters, or customers face being cut off.
Any households that don’t upgrade face being left without heating or hot water, as well as potentially higher energy bills, as the system is deactivated.
In its advice to households, Energy UK said: “If you decide not to upgrade, the heating and/or hot water provisions in your home or business could be affected. You may find that your heating and/or hot water is continually left on or off, or the charging-up happens at the wrong time of day.
“Your electricity supplier won’t be able to confirm how much electricity you have used during peak or off-peak times, which means your electricity costs could be much higher than before. A smart meter will give you a similar service to your RTS meter. You should speak to your supplier to find out more.”
Ofgem says you may have an RTS meter if you have a separate switch box near your energy meter labelled Radio Teleswitch, your home is heated using electricity or storage heaters, there’s no gas supply to your area, or you get cheaper energy at different times of day. For example, your tariff might be Economy 7, Economy 10 or Total Heat Total Control.
Your energy supplier should be able to tell you which tariffs are available to you by upgrading to a smart meter, and they should offer a tariff that is suitable for the hot water and heating set-up in your home.
Households that do have an affected meter are being urged to take up the offer of a smart meter installation from their energy supplier before June 30.
Ofgem said: “The technology that supports RTS electricity meters will switch off from 30 June 2025. 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.
“If you have an RTS meter, your electricity supplier will get in touch to arrange an upgrade to a smart meter before this deadline. They must make sure you have a suitable meter installed, and that your service is not disrupted.”