UK Energy Consumers Minister Martin McCluskey has declared that the switch-off of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) has been carried out successfully, two weeks after the system was permanently deactivated at the end of June 2026. While a small number of RTS meters remain in homes across the UK, the minister emphasised that households are no longer reliant on them.
Successful Transition Despite Delays
The RTS, used by older electricity meters to control heating and hot water, was switched off after a one-year delay implemented by the government in 2025. The delay was prompted by concerns from industry regulator Ofgem that hundreds of thousands of households could face disruption, including heating systems left continuously on or off, storage heaters charging at incorrect times, and potential higher bills due to suppliers being unable to differentiate between peak and off-peak electricity usage.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr McCluskey said: “I can say with confidence the switchover has worked.” He acknowledged that “on paper there are still meters that need replaced” with modern smart meters, but noted that all affected households have been contacted, in some cases multiple times. “Where there are maybe some people we haven’t reached, I think they will be very small in number,” he added.
Unreliant Households and Rapid Replacements
The minister explained that remaining RTS meters “are largely in places where they have not been reliant on RTS for a number of years.” He recounted instances where energy suppliers knocked on doors and residents “didn’t even realise they had got an RTS meter and they hadn’t been using it for a number of years.” Mr McCluskey stressed that energy suppliers have systems in place to address any outstanding households quickly, with meters replaced rapidly after the June 30 switch-off.
He urged anyone still facing issues to contact their energy supplier first, and also to reach out to their Member of Parliament. “Now we have a situation where those people who were reliant on old and vulnerable technology are now being served in large part by smart meters that give them access to the latest technology and the latest tariffs,” he said.
Historical Technology Finally Replaced
The minister highlighted that some of the technology being replaced dated back to the 1930s, calling the switch-off a long-overdue achievement. “Having inherited something which should have been done years ago, having inherited it in 2024 to get to a point now in 2026 where we have successfully done it, I would count as an achievement for the Government,” Mr McCluskey concluded.
