Many UK homes with outdated meters must upgrade soon or risk losing heating and hot water, as a crucial service is set to be discontinued.
London: So, here’s the scoop. If you live in the UK and have one of those old 1980s electricity meters, you might be in for a rough ride. A service that many rely on for heating and hot water is being cut off this year.
Ofgem and Energy UK are sounding the alarm. They’re telling folks with radio teleswitch service (RTS) meters to get their act together and upgrade before it’s too late. If you don’t, you could be left shivering without heat or hot water.
These RTS meters have been around since the 80s, using radio signals to switch between different energy rates. But guess what? The technology is outdated, and the signal will be switched off on June 30. That’s not far away!
Ofgem is pushing a campaign to get people to upgrade their meters. They’re saying it’s super important to book an installation as soon as your energy supplier reaches out. If you wait too long, you might end up with heating that’s stuck on or off, which could lead to some hefty bills.
Good news, though! Replacing your RTS meter won’t cost you anything extra. Just be careful of scams. Ofgem warns that you won’t need to pay anything when you set up your appointment.
As of early 2025, there are still about 600,000 RTS meters in use across Britain. That’s a lot of homes at risk of losing their heating and hot water if they don’t act soon.
Fuel poverty charities are also getting involved, saying this switch-off could hit poorer areas the hardest. Danni Barnes from National Energy Action pointed out that many of these meters are linked to older heating systems, which are common in struggling communities.
She’s worried that this change could make things even tougher for families already facing high energy costs. In the worst-case scenario, some might not even be able to heat their homes or get hot water at all.
