What is the Radio Teleswitch Service?

The Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) uses longwave radio signals to tell electricity meters when to switch between peak and off-peak rates. It also controls hot water and heating powered by electricity, including storage heaters, panel heaters and immersion heaters. At its peak, the UK had well over 900,000 RTS meters, and a significant number of homes and businesses still rely on them.

What is the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) switch off?

RTS was introduced in the 1980s and has reached the end of its operational life. The longwave signal it depends on began switching off in June 2025, and the shutdown is being carried out in phases, area by area. Once the signal ends in your area, your meter's timings may stop working as they should, and your hot water and heating could be affected.

If you still have an RTS meter, this is no longer a future problem to plan for. It's a live deadline, and the safe move is to arrange a replacement smart meter now, either through your current supplier or by giving us a call.

What are electricity suppliers doing to help?

All suppliers have already contacted any of their customers who currently have an RTS meter (customers should have been notified before December 2024). If you currently have an RTS meter, then your supplier can install a smart meter for you free of charge.

How do I know if I have an RTS meter?

There are a few ways to find out if you have an RTS meter. Firstly, if your hot water and heating are powered by electricity or storage heaters, then you most likely have an RTS meter. Likewise, if there is no gas supply to your property at all (such properties in rural areas), then you likely have an RTS meter.

You should also be able to tell if you have an RTS meter by having a look at your meter. Check if there is a separate switch box near your meter with a radio teleswitch label on it.

If you get cheaper energy at off-peak times (and don't have a Half-Hourly meter), then you may have an RTS meter (e.g. economy 7, economy 10 or total heat total control tariffs)

If you're still unsure whether you have an RTS meter, contact your electricity supplier, whoshould be able to confirm if you do.

Can I stay on the same tariff I am on now?

Your supplier will tell you which tariffs are available for your new meter. Most major suppliers have committed to keeping equivalent tariffs in place, with like-for-like or very similar terms. The main difference you may notice is slight changes to the peak and off-peak switching times. If your business depends on those timings, for charging equipment overnight for instance, check the new schedule before the installation rather than after.

What happens if I decide not to upgrade the RTS meter?

If you have an RTS meter and choose not to install a replacement smart meter, you could end up with higher energy bills and potentially lose heating and hot water supply. Your hot water and heating can remain continually on or off and charge up at the wrong time of day. Due to the inaccurate measurement of what times of day energy is used, your supplier could bill you wrongly for peak and off-peak usage. Additionally, fewer suppliers will be able to provide quotes for RTS meters. To avoid complications, you should arrange with your current supplier to replace your RTS meter.

What happens if I am unable to upgrade my RTS meter?

Some areas can't support smart meters due to weak mobile signals. If you are in this situation, your supplier will contact you to discuss your options. One of these options may be the installation of a type of smart meter that doesn't need to connect to the smart meter network. These types of smart meters are pre-set with the times for switching from off-peak tariffs to peak tariffs.

What do you gain from the smart meter?

The switch-off forces the change, but the replacement isn't just a like-for-like swap; it brings genuine improvements over a 40-year-old radio system.

Automatic readings mean the end of estimated bills. Your meter sends usage data directly to your supplier, so you're billed for what you actually used, and disputes about peak versus off-peak consumption disappear along with the guesswork.

You also get visibility you never had with RTS. Through an in-home display or your supplier's app, you can see exactly when your property uses energy, which makes it far easier to check that storage heaters and hot water are charging at the cheap times they're supposed to.

How can Purely Energy help?

If you think you may be affected by the radio teleswitch service switch off and have any queries, or would like help lowering your energy costs, contact us at0161 521 3400 or email us at Info@purelyenergy.co.uk. Alternatively, get a quick quote.

If there are any suggestions or questions - Please get in touch with us.