Hundreds of thousands of people could be left with no heating or hot water as their obsolete electricity meters are shut down.
Radio Teleswitching Systems (RTS) are being switched off for good on June 30 – but energy companies warn it will be ‘very very difficult’ to replace all of them with smart meters before that deadline.
By the end of March there were still 430,000 homes using RTS meters for their heating and hot water, and campaigners reckon more than 300,000 will still be stuck with the old tech when it’s switched off.
Energy UK, which represents energy companies, says more than 1,000 RTS meters are being replaced each day – but in order to reach everyone in time they would need to replace closer to 5,000 per day.
And not only could homes be left with no heating or hot water, there are also concerns they could be stuck with their heating constantly on during the warmer summer months.
Ofgem, the energy regulator, has called it an ‘urgent consumer welfare issue’ while the government said the industry has to ‘work urgently to continue to increase the pace of replacements’.
When asked if it was impossible to switch every meter by the June 30 deadline, Ned Hammond, Energy UK’s deputy director for customers, told the BBC: ‘I wouldn’t want to say impossible – but clearly very, very difficult to get to that point.’
RTS meters have been used since the 1980s, using a longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off peak rates.
They tend to control heating and hot water on a separate circuit to the rest of the household’s electrics, meaning plug sockets and lights are unlikely to be impacted by the switch-off.
The deadline for the switch-off was originally set for March 2024, but it was extended by more than a year to give energy companies more time.
How do I know if I have an RTS meter?
According to the Energy Saving Trust, you might have an RTS meter if you:
- Live in a house with no gas connection
- 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
- You have two codes on your electricity bill that start with the letter S. These are ‘supply numbers’ or ‘S numbers’
What happens if my RTS meter isn’t changed by the deadline?
If your supplier doesn’t replace your meter by June 30, your heating and hot water will likely be affected. They might:
- Stay on all the time
- Not come on at all
- Charge at the wrong time of day
- Turn on and off at odd times of day
- Not come on when you want them to
You might see your energy bills go up as a result.
Ned said energy companies are still aiming for the June 30 deadline ‘as things stand’, and say they are developing plans for a ‘managed and very careful phase down of the system’ to try and protect vulnerable customers.
Simon Francis, from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: ‘With pressures on the replacement programme growing and with limited engineer availability, especially in rural areas, there’s a real risk of prolonged disruption, particularly for vulnerable households.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
