RTS energy meter switch off to be delayed, says Government

The move, which campaign group the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said was 'doomed for failure', was due to take place on June 30.
In its place, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said there will be a 'managed and more controlled start' to the RTS phaseout.
As a result, they said, those with an affected meter will not face any unexpected disruption to their heating or hot water at the end of the month.
The RTS system, used by older electricity meters to control heating and hot water, uses a longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off-peak rates.
The technology is becoming obsolete and energy companies had a deadline to change their customers' meters by June 30.
However, firms have admitted that current rates of replacement meant it was likely that thousands of RTS meters would not have been upgraded before the technology is switched off.
Energy UK, which represents firms, said 392,000 households still had the meters as of mid April.
Industry regulator Ofgem has said the risks associated with not having a functioning meter include heating and hot water left continually on or off, electric storage heaters charging at the wrong time of day, possibly leading to higher bills, and the supplier being unable to confirm electricity usage during peak or off-peak times.
Recommended reading:
Nearly 3 million more homes to receive £150 energy bill discount next winter
Martin Lewis: How to stop a banking scam with just three digits
What is Amazon Subscribe and Save and is it worth doing?
In a written statement on Wednesday, energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said the pace of RTS replacements by industry had been 'too slow', leaving 314,935 RTS meters still in homes as of May 30.
She said: 'My department has worked to ensure industry will pursue a more controlled approach to the phaseout, beginning with a very small number of homes and businesses in carefully targeted local areas. During this process, Government and Ofgem will closely monitor supplier readiness to ensure the process is smooth and vulnerable consumers are identified and protected.
'These steps will help ensure suppliers are ready to respond quickly in case of any issues and that working families and the elderly are protected throughout the phaseout process.
'The Government is working closely with industry and Ofgem to ensure this next period is planned effectively and consumers, particularly those who are vulnerable, are protected.'
She added: 'Suppliers will continue contacting consumers to book replacement appointments and consumers are urged to respond as soon as possible.
'In most cases, this will involve replacing the RTS meter with a smart meter, which can work in the same way as RTS meters, with automatic peak and off-peak rates, and the ability to turn heating and hot water systems on and off, ensuring minimal disruption to households.
'In advance of any phaseout activity in their area, households and businesses will be contacted by their energy supplier to inform them well ahead of time, if their meters will be affected.'
Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, which wrote to Ofgem and the Government to raise concerns about the pace and communication of the meter replacement effort, said: 'The RTS switch-off process was doomed to failure after it became clear that the deadline was simply unachievable.
'Ministers are right to be getting a grip on the situation and holding Ofgem and the energy industry to account.
'We now need to see a plan published that sets out how the gradual switch-off will take place, including which regions will be affected and when.
'Crucially, we also need firm and binding reassurances that no customers will be left without heating or hot water, and that no household will face higher bills as a result of the changes.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Reuters

19 minutes ago

• Reuters

Norway plans temporary ban on power-intensive cryptocurrency mining

COPENHAGEN, June 20 (Reuters) - Norway aims to impose a temporary ban on the establishment of new data centres that mine cryptocurrency with the most power-intensive technology, in order to conserve electricity for other industries, the Nordic country's government said on Friday. "The Labour Party government has a clear intention to limit the mining of cryptocurrency in Norway as much as possible," Minister for Digitalization and Public Administration Karianne Tung said in a statement. "Cryptocurrency mining is very power-intensive and generates little in the way of jobs and income for the local community," she added. A temporary ban could be introduced during the autumn of 2025, the government said.

North Wales Chronicle

25 minutes ago

• North Wales Chronicle

Bank of England boss not ‘convinced' of need for digital pound

Andrew Bailey, speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, said central banks have to be alert to the growing 'non-money system'. Mr Bailey said he remains 'to be convinced that we need to create new forms of money – such as central bank retail digital currency – to achieve' benefits such as smarter payments and fighting fraud. The Bank of England and the Government are exploring the launch of a digital pound which could be used by households and businesses in the UK alongside cash and bank deposits. Mr Bailey's remarks revealed doubts over the creation of a digital pound aimed at everyday consumers, which is being designed but with no certainty it will be officially launched. He also stressed that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin were a 'risky asset class and should be seen as such'. The UK's financial watchdog recently said it planned to lift a ban on some crypto-linked investments for customers, despite warning that people could 'lose all their money' from buying it. Meanwhile, Mr Bailey said it was hard to say whether banks had faced 'excessive' post-financial crisis regulation. He said a challenging question was 'whether we have over-protected the banking system via excessive regulation, and in so doing pushed more risk into non-banks which would be more safely housed in banks'. 'Put another way, have we increased overall financial stability risk by raising the bar too high in banks? It's a fair enough question, but intrinsically hard to answer,' he said. He insisted that 'we have rightly raised regulatory standards for banks in the light of a financial crisis, the effects of which continue to be felt almost 15 years on'.

Leader Live

25 minutes ago

• Leader Live

Bank of England boss not ‘convinced' of need for digital pound

Andrew Bailey, speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, said central banks have to be alert to the growing 'non-money system'. Mr Bailey said he remains 'to be convinced that we need to create new forms of money – such as central bank retail digital currency – to achieve' benefits such as smarter payments and fighting fraud. The Bank of England and the Government are exploring the launch of a digital pound which could be used by households and businesses in the UK alongside cash and bank deposits. Mr Bailey's remarks revealed doubts over the creation of a digital pound aimed at everyday consumers, which is being designed but with no certainty it will be officially launched. He also stressed that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin were a 'risky asset class and should be seen as such'. The UK's financial watchdog recently said it planned to lift a ban on some crypto-linked investments for customers, despite warning that people could 'lose all their money' from buying it. Meanwhile, Mr Bailey said it was hard to say whether banks had faced 'excessive' post-financial crisis regulation. He said a challenging question was 'whether we have over-protected the banking system via excessive regulation, and in so doing pushed more risk into non-banks which would be more safely housed in banks'. 'Put another way, have we increased overall financial stability risk by raising the bar too high in banks? It's a fair enough question, but intrinsically hard to answer,' he said. He insisted that 'we have rightly raised regulatory standards for banks in the light of a financial crisis, the effects of which continue to be felt almost 15 years on'.