Looming crisis for households on RTS meters

Vulnerable households face a “looming crisis” due to delays in replacing old Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters, the End Fuel Poverty Coalition has warned.

In a letter to Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh and Ofgem Chief Executive Jonathan Brearley, the Coalition raised serious concerns about the pace of the replacement programme, which affects hundreds of thousands of homes.

The RTS system, which controls heating and hot water in older electricity meters, will be switched off later this year.

Without replacement, households could lose access to heating and hot water, face higher bills by losing access to off-peak tariffs and suffer inaccurate billing.

The Coalition’s letter states: “Based on our members’ conversations with energy suppliers, we estimate that in Scotland alone, tens of thousands of RTS meters are yet to be addressed, leaving many consumers in limbo.”

At the end of March 2025, 430,000 households remained on RTS meters, with replacement efforts standing at 1,000 installations a day, according to Energy UK.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, warned: “There is a very real risk that over 300,000 households will find their RTS meter stops working properly come 1 July 2025.”

Frazer Scott, Chief Executive of Energy Action Scotland, added: “Time and time again consumers are left in the dark by the Government and an energy industry failing to deliver on its promises to deliver improvements.”

The Coalition is calling for urgent action, contingency planning and clear guarantees on fair metering and billing practices to protect vulnerable households from service disruptions and rising energy costs.