RTS meters are being switched off: how to tell if you have one, and what happens to your heating

If your heating and hot water switch on overnight, and your electricity bill shows two different rates for day and night, your meter may be one of the units Britain is now switching off area by area. These are RTS meters — Radio Teleswitch Service. The radio signal that flipped them between day and night rates for decades is being withdrawn, and a home still on one risks heating that never comes on, or never goes off.

What is an RTS meter and why is it being switched off?

It is a meter that receives its switching instruction over a longwave radio signal rather than from an internal clock or a mobile network. The system was introduced in the 1980s and served homes with night storage heating, electric boilers and tariffs such as Economy 7 and Economy 10. The gradual phase-out of the infrastructure behind it began on 30 June 2025. Ofgem now states plainly on its consumer page that support for RTS meters has ended.

ONLYWAY NEWSLIVEMoney · 21.10RTS meters are being switched off: how to tell if you have one, and what happens to your heatingLife · 21.10London's Russian corner: why Bayswater has a Moscow Road and a St Petersburgh PlaceHousing · 21.10Guarantors when renting in England: what they cover and why you can't be charged a feeMoney · 21.10A high-rate regular saver: why your deposits earn about half the headlineHousing · 21.10Shared ownership: buying a share of a home — how it works and the catchesMoney · 21.10Quote or estimate: why a tradesperson's figure can rise — or must notHousing · 21.10Zero-deposit renting: you pay less now, lose the money and still oweImmigration · 21.10The Global Talent visa: no employer, no sponsor — through endorsementLaw · 21.10An unmarried partner inherits nothing: the no-will rules in EnglandMoney · 21.10NS&I: Guaranteed Growth Bonds or Income Bonds — the difference and which to pickONLYWAY NEWS · appInstall the ONLYWAY NEWS appFresh UK news, classifieds, key dates and exchange rates on your home screen, one tap away. Free.NewsClassifiedsCalendarRates

The withdrawal is not happening all at once. The signal is pulled from targeted groups on a regional group code basis. The government dropped the idea of a single nationwide switch-off: the first stage affected no more than 600 households over three weeks, so suppliers and network operators could deal with problems on the ground.

How do you tell whether you have one?

The signs are straightforward. There is a separate box next to the meter marked Radio Teleswitch, or labelled as radio-controlled. Your bill carries two unit rates, one for day and one for night. The property is heated by electricity: storage heaters, an electric boiler, underfloor heating. If two of these apply, call your supplier and ask directly — the meter type is visible in their system.

What happens if the meter is not replaced?

Once the signal goes, the meter stops switching. Heating and hot water can be left continually on or continually off, and storage heaters may charge during the day at the expensive rate instead of overnight. The risk runs both ways: a cold home, or a noticeably larger bill.

How many are left, and where is the switch-off happening now?

In January 2025 there were over 600,000 RTS meters in operation. Supplier data collected by Ofgem counted 314,935 of them as at 30 May 2025 — roughly 1% of UK households, with about 105,000 in Scotland. By January 2026 fewer than 154,000 remained to be replaced. The replacement rate rose from around 1,000 meters a month to more than 1,000 a day.

Switch-off was paused over the coldest winter months. It recommenced on 2 March 2026 in England and Wales, with Scotland due to resume in early April.

ADV · A003We build websites for tradespeople and sole traders — £219Customers see your work and prices and message you straight away. Ready in 3 days, £219 instead of £438.Advertise here

Who pays, and what must the supplier do?

Replacement is free to the household, and in most cases the RTS unit is swapped for a smart meter. Standard licence condition 39 requires suppliers to take all reasonable steps to carry out that replacement. Other conditions require them to make all tariffs available (SLC 22B), to move a customer onto the next cheapest relevant tariff where one is withdrawn (SLC 22D), and to give enhanced support to anyone on the Priority Services Register (SLC 26). Since 1 August 2025 suppliers have run a round-the-clock service for reporting a loss of supply.

What if the appointment keeps slipping?

New Guaranteed Standards of Performance for smart meters came into force on 23 February 2026. They provide automatic compensation where a domestic customer is not offered an installation appointment within 30 working days; for micro-business customers the period is 60 working days. The payment is £40 and is made automatically, with no claim to file. Ofgem sets out three triggers: waiting more than six weeks for a scheduled installation; an appointment missed through the supplier's own fault; and no plan to fix a reported meter problem within five working days of the report. Under the separate appointment-booking standard, £40 is due per fuel per meter point.

Ofgem is blunt about why these rules exist: the average wait in Great Britain between securing an appointment and the meter actually being replaced stands at 20 working days, and a quarter of cancelled or aborted appointments are cancelled by the supplier.

Will the tariff get worse after the swap?

Ofgem collected data on the tariffs offered to former RTS customers and concluded that suppliers are, on the whole, leaving them "no worse off" after a replacement. That is why, in its decision of 5 March 2026, the regulator declined to introduce RTS-specific licence conditions: it judged the existing rules sufficient and said it would intervene supplier by supplier where needed instead. If the new tariff does not suit you, Ofgem's advice is to review the market — choice is wider with a smart meter than it was with a complex metering arrangement.

Where do you complain?

To the supplier first, in writing. If the answer does not satisfy you, or eight weeks pass with no resolution, the case goes to the independent Energy Ombudsman; Citizens Advice gives free guidance. If someone in the household needs extra help, ask the supplier to add the address to the Priority Services Register — such properties, along with schools and care homes, are given urgent attention when disruption occurs.