RTS meter switch off: what you need to know

The UK Government has confirmed that there won’t be a nationwide switch off of RTS meters. Instead, there’ll be a phased transition starting from 30 June in carefully targeted local areas.

This means that anyone with an RTS meter won’t risk any disruption to their heating and hot water. 

Energy suppliers should contact anyone living in an area that has been selected for a phase out well ahead of time.

Charlotte Friel, Director for Retail Pricing & Systems for Ofgem, said:

“Ofgem has been clear that customers must be protected at every stage of the phased area-by-area shutdown, and we are spelling out to suppliers key requirements that must be met before an area loses its RTS signal.

“While this carefully managed phaseout process should reassure customers, it remains crucial that these meters are replaced urgently so it’s vital to engage with your supplier when offered an appointment.”

RTS meters receive radio signals to switch between different electricity rates or turn certain appliances on or off at specific times. 

They were mainly for: 

• Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs for cheaper night-time electricity.
• RTS-only tariffs like Comfort Plus and Total Heat Total Control.
• Controlling storage heaters or water heaters.

However, the technology that creates the radio signal is outdated and will be phased out starting from 30 June 2025. 

According to Ofgem, there are around 800,000 RTS meters across Great Britain that need replacing.

You might have an RTS meter if you: 

• Use electric heating to heat your home. 
• Have a tariff where the price of electricity changes at different times of day. 
• Have a separate box near your electricity meter with the words ‘radio teleswitch’ or ‘radio telemeter’.
• Have two codes on your electricity bill that start with the letter S. These are ‘supply numbers’ or ‘S numbers’.
• Live in a house with no gas connection. 

Your electricity supplier might have been in touch with you already via letter about replacing your meter. 

Get in touch with your electricity supplier as soon as possible and arrange to replace the meter. Your supplier must replace your meter to make sure there’s no disruption to your electricity supply. 

Your supplier should upgrade you to a smart meter for free. If you can’t have a smart meter, it still has to replace your RTS meter with a suitable alternative.

You don’t pay anything to change your meter. If someone contacts you and says you have to pay to change your meter, this is a scam. Read our energy scams guide for more information on what to do. 

That depends on your supplier, who should tell you what your tariff options are before you have the new meter installed. 

In many cases, you can keep your existing tariff when switching to a smart meter. 

Unlike other meters, smart meters can automatically adjust when your circuits switch on and off, based on your tariff. Without one, these times must be manually set and fixed. This is a less flexible system and may mean you need to change tariff. 

 With a smart meter installed, you’ll: 

• Have more accurate energy bills. 
• Be better able to lower energy use. 
• Get access to money saving initiatives. 

For more information, read our guide to smart meters. 

If you’re not able to get a smart meter yet, or you’d prefer not to have one, that’s okay. But if you have an RTS meter, it still needs to be replaced. 

Once the RTS system ends, eventually your meter won’t be able to switch between rates properly. To keep your tariff working as it should, especially if you’re on Economy 7 or similar, your meter must be replaced. 

Speak to your energy supplier about your options. In some cases, they may offer to install smart meter technology but disable the communications function. This means it won’t send readings automatically, so it won’t act like a fully ‘smart’ meter. 

If you pay the energy bills directly and the account is in your name, you can arrange a smart meter upgrade yourself. You don’t need your landlord’s permission to replace the meter, but it’s still a good idea to let them know. This is especially important if they manage things like heating or tariff choices. 

If your landlord pays the energy bills (for example, in a fully inclusive rent), then it’s up to them to sort out the meter replacement. In that case, ask them about their plans to replace the RTS meter.

Either way, it’s important that someone arranges a replacement to keep your heating and tariff working properly.

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