600,000 households warned they could lose heating and hot water if they don't act now
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Hundreds of thousands of households on older electricity meters have been urged to upgrade now - or risk being left without heating and hot water. Ofgem estimates there are still around 600,000 radio teleswitch service (RTS) meters in Britain. RTS meters use radio signals to switch between peak and off-peak rates and were first introduced in the 1980s - but the supporting infrastructure which broadcasts the signal is being switched off on June 30.
It does not cost anything to upgrade an RTS meter. All households should have been contacted by their supplier by the end of 2024. Ofgem has warned that failing to act could lead to heating and hot water being left permanently switched off or on, the latter of which would lead to higher energy bills.
You may have an RTS meter if you have a switch box near your energy meter labelled Radio Teleswitch, if you have electric or storage heaters, if there is no gas supply to your area, or if you get cheaper energy at different times of day, for example, people on an Economy 7, Economy 10 or Total Heat Total Control tariffs.
Charlotte Friel, Director for Retail Pricing and Systems for Ofgem, said: “This new high-profile campaign is a welcome step forward which we hope will enhance the hard work already being done to reach out to affected customers and encourage them to make appointments. This kind of collaborative working epitomises why we set up the RTS Taskforce alongside Energy UK, bringing together suppliers and the wider sector to accelerate progress.”.
