Radio Teleswitch Tariffs and the RTS Switch-Off

The Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) has ended. Ofgem's guidance is unambiguous: "Support for RTS meters has now ended"¹. The radio signal that older meters used to switch between day and night electricity rates began being switched off from June 2025², and Energy UK reports that the phase-out was completed on 30 June 2026, as the technology reached the end of its life³. If you still have an RTS meter, it may no longer work as expected, and the equipment's age means any problems will be harder to fix¹.

Around 800,000 RTS meters across Great Britain need to be replaced, according to Ofgem figures reported by Energy Saving Trust, out of almost 1 million homes that have one⁴. In Scotland alone, more than 200,000 households with electric heating have been affected⁵. The practical consequence is simple: if your meter relies on the radio signal, your heating, hot water and bills depend on getting it replaced.

A service that has already ended

The switch-off did not happen as a single national event. A national switch-off did not take place in June 2025; instead the transition has continued in stages through 2026, targeted by postcode⁶. Energy UK confirms there was no mass switch-off of the RTS national signal on 30 June 2025, and that the phase-out was completed on 30 June 2026 because the equipment producing the radio signal could no longer be adequately maintained³.

Affected customers were contacted multiple times ahead of their meters being phased out, to minimise disruption to heating and hot water³. Suppliers are required to proactively contact customers who use RTS meters to inform them about the switch-off and the need to upgrade⁸. So if you have had letters about a new meter and put them aside, this is the moment to act on them: the signal your meter depends on is gone or going, and the replacement is not instant.

The reason for the switch-off is not a policy choice about tariffs. The equipment that produces the radio signal has reached the end of its operational life and can no longer be adequately maintained⁸. RTS meters themselves were brought in over 40 years ago⁹, and the service dates from the 1980s¹⁰.

What the Radio Teleswitch Service actually does

The radio teleswitch is a device that lets electricity suppliers switch large numbers of meters between different tariff rates¹⁰. The service, provided by your electricity supplier, sends signals via radio waves that tell an older meter two things: when to switch between peak (expensive) and off-peak (cheaper) electricity rates, and when to turn heating and hot water systems on and off⁸. Each teleswitching message carries just 50 bits of data¹⁰.

RTS meters receive these radio signals to switch between different electricity rates or to turn certain appliances on and off at specific times⁴. The service was introduced in the 1980s to manage electricity meters in the UK⁸, and it is also known as the Dynamic Teleswitch Service (DTS)¹¹. In an Economy 7 system, the teleswitch replaces the clock that would otherwise define the night hours¹⁰.

The households that depend on it are those with electric storage systems, panel heaters or immersion heaters in water tanks¹¹. For these homes the RTS signal is not a convenience: it is the mechanism that decides when storage heaters charge and when the water tank heats, and therefore what each unit of that electricity costs. The service is used by some older meters to control electric heating and hot water, often linked to tariffs such as Economy 7 or Economy 10¹².

Ways to check whether your meter is an RTS one

There are several ways to check, and none of them require technical knowledge.

• Look at the meter cupboard. There may be a separate switch box near your meter with a Radio Teleswitch label on it⁷. Act on Energy describes it as a black box next to the meter with "radio teleswitch" written on it⁹.
• Look at the meter face. It might have the words "Radio Teleswitching Service" on it, and it should show two different meter readings, one for daytime and one for night-time⁹.
• Look at your bill. If you are charged two different rates for day and night, or your tariff is named Economy 7 or Economy 10, you may have an RTS meter⁹.
• Consider your heating. If your property is heated using electricity or storage heaters, and there is no gas supply to your area, you fit the typical profile². Rural areas and high-rise flats are commonly affected².

The tariffs most often linked to RTS meters are Economy 7, Economy 10 and Total Heat Total Control⁷. If your tariff is one of these and your meter is not a smart meter, treat it as likely affected and contact your supplier. Some older Economy 7 meters use the RTS service and will be affected, but not all Economy 7 meters do², so the meter itself, not just the tariff name, is what matters.

What happens to heating, hot water and bills once the signal ends

This is the section that matters most, because the failure mode is not a clean switch-off. Without the RTS signal, systems may become unpredictable, potentially not working or turning on or off at incorrect times⁸. The consequences reported across independent advice bodies are consistent:

• Heating and hot water could be continually left on or off, or charge up at the wrong time of day³.
• The supplier cannot confirm peak or off-peak usage, which could mean higher electricity bills¹³.
• A heating system or water heater controlled by the RTS meter could stop working once the signal is turned off⁹.
• Electricity costs could be much higher than before³.

On the billing side, the risk is that you are automatically put onto a standard tariff, losing your cheaper night rate and being charged the day rate at all times; the night rate could double or even triple⁹. Because the supplier cannot tell when you used electricity, it has no basis for billing you at the off-peak rate you signed up for.

There is one nuance worth knowing. Households no longer on an Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff are in less danger: their meter will continue to function normally and, providing all electricity is on one circuit, there should be no difference, though the Centre for Sustainable Energy still recommends a smart meter⁶. The households at real risk are those whose heating and hot water are switched by the signal.

The staged switch-off and moving to a smart meter

The replacement route is a smart meter. Radio teleswitches are being replaced as part of the smart meter rollout programme¹⁰, and a smart meter can be programmed to deliver a similar service to an RTS meter³. Your energy supplier can replace your RTS meter with a smart meter¹⁴, and Energy Saving Trust states plainly: "Your supplier should upgrade you to a smart meter for free."⁴

The process in order:

1. Contact your supplier using the number on your bill and ask for a meter replacement¹.
2. If you do not know who your supplier is, call 105 to speak to your local electricity network operator, who can tell you¹⁴.
3. Book the installation appointment. Smart Energy GB's advice is to book a new meter installation now².
4. After the swap, you will still be able to get a tariff that supports heating and hot water, but it may differ from your current one¹⁴.

The cost position is favourable. You do not pay anything to change your meter⁴. In most cases there is no cost, but on rare occasions, if it is not possible to install a new meter, there may be a cost, for example where there is an asbestos board or no space for a new meter⁶. A separate point: if you cannot reach your meter easily to top it up and ask your supplier to move it, you may have to pay a fee for the relocation¹⁵.

A smart meter brings tariff options an RTS meter cannot offer. Smart meters can access more flexible tariffs, including dual-rate tariffs¹, and you can get one installed by your energy supplier at no extra cost¹⁷. For a household's energy independence, this cuts both ways: a smart meter frees you from a dead radio system and opens up time-of-use and export tariffs, but it also ties your tariff switching to a communicating device maintained by your supplier and the network. Except by switching, you do not control the tariff your energy supplier sets, though you can change how much energy you use¹⁹.

Economy 7 tariffs: roughly 15p overnight versus roughly 34p in daytime

Economy 7 gives seven hours of cheaper electricity overnight²⁰, with more expensive electricity during the day²². The assumed rates used in independent guidance as of June 2026 are 34.38p per kWh on-peak and 15.43p per kWh off-peak, with a 58:42 split between day and night use²³. Which? based its storage heater running costs on 15.43p per kWh, the average Economy 7 off-peak rate in January 2026²⁴.

Two warnings sit beside those numbers. Some Economy 7 tariffs charge almost double the night rate during the day²⁶, so the day rate is not a small premium. And Economy 7 users have faced sharper rises than other electricity customers: an analysis found electricity-only Economy 7 tariffs rose by 7.6%, and that Economy 7 users paid 46% more than other electricity tariffs, with the BBC reporting around 2.5 million households on such tariffs²⁷.

The off-peak window is not fixed nationally. The cheaper rate usually runs between midnight and 7am, but this varies across suppliers²⁰, and the window sits somewhere between 11pm and 8am as defined by your regional network operator²⁵. Some energy companies also offer extra hours during winter²⁸. Some variations of the tariff offer 8.5 or 10 hours instead of 7²¹. Night storage heaters should always be used on an Economy 7 tariff to take advantage of the cheaper overnight electricity²³, and your meter or a timer switch controls when the off-peak circuit is live, with the heater charging automatically during those hours²⁹.

Is Economy 7 still worth it for your household

Economy 7 is not being withdrawn. It remains on offer as a tariff from most energy suppliers²⁵, and it is typically used with electric storage heaters but available to anyone²². It is only available for electricity-heated homes and not those with a gas supply²⁸. The question is whether the split between your day and night use makes it pay.

The thresholds given in independent guidance cluster around a third to a half of your electricity:

• More than 35% of your electricity at night, as a general rule of thumb²⁵.
• At least 40% of your electricity at night, per National Energy Action³⁰.
• More than 40% during the night to make switching worthwhile, per energyhelpline²⁶.
• At least 30% during the cheaper night-time hours, per Which?²⁸.

The reason the threshold is so high is the day rate. Because the on-peak rate is well above a single-rate tariff, a household that uses most of its electricity during the day loses more on the expensive hours than it gains on the cheap ones. People with Economy 7 typically use the cheap hours to charge their electric storage heaters²¹, which is why the tariff suits homes with storage heating and little overnight demand beyond it.

For homes with a battery, the calculus changes: Energy Saving Trust suggests a battery-only home is best off with either a dynamic tariff or Economy 7²². And if you have gas heating, time-of-use tariffs will not affect your gas bill²². The independence angle is worth stating: Economy 7 lets an electrically heated home buy its heat at a fixed cheap window, but it locks the household into shifting its life around that window, and into a meter and tariff arrangement the supplier controls.

Options when a smart meter cannot be fitted

Smart meters are optional, and it is your right to refuse one³¹. But refusing, or being unable to receive one, does not leave you without options, because your supplier still has to replace your RTS meter with a suitable alternative⁴.

The alternatives, as described in independent guidance:

• A non-smart meter on request, or a non-communicating smart meter preset to switch between tariffs where there is no signal⁶.
• A meter with your tariff pre-programmed. You will need to send in manual readings and you will not get the full benefits of a smart meter, but your heating will continue to work¹⁴.
• A different type of meter that can still offer a cheaper night rate, which varies between suppliers⁹.

There are some situations where a supplier will not be able to offer a smart meter upgrade appointment yet, and it will get in touch when ready¹³. In areas with poor signal, the supplier will usually install a non-communicating smart meter⁶.

The trade-off is real. Without a smart meter you miss out on easier billing and innovative tariff options³⁰, and you exclude yourself from cheaper tariffs that are only available with one¹⁷. The same logic applies to other technologies: you do not need a smart meter simply to charge an electric vehicle, but without one you may not be able to access some EV-specific tariffs³². One further group should note a limit: residents who pay a landlord or site owner by meter readings or estimates cannot switch suppliers themselves³³.

For a household aiming at energy independence, the RTS switch-off is a forced decision point. The old system let a home heat itself on cheap night electricity with no supplier involvement beyond the radio clock; whatever replaces it, smart or pre-programmed, involves a meter the supplier has chosen and, in the smart case, a communications network the household does not control. The compensations are real: accurate billing, access to dual-rate and flexible tariffs¹, and freedom from equipment that can no longer be maintained. But the dependence has moved from a radio transmitter at the end of its life to a supplier-run metering system, and that is worth understanding before the installation appointment.