The Energy Saving Trust has said that the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meter system is being phased out in stages, and that households holding one should contact their energy supplier to arrange a replacement1. The statement appears in the trust's electric heating advice page, last updated on 1 July 20261.
RTS meters are relevant to homes with electric heating because the trust defines electric heating as any system using electricity as the main energy source, most commonly electric storage heaters, electric boilers and electric underfloor heating1. Storage heaters charge when electricity is cheaper and release heat gradually through the next day, and are often paired with tariffs offering lower off-peak rates1. Electric boilers heat water for radiators or underfloor pipes and usually include a large hot water tank; the trust says the most common meters for them are Economy 10 meters, which provide three periods of cheaper rate electricity during the day1.
The trust gives typical installation costs per room of £900 to £1,400 for electric storage heaters and £300 to £500 for electric panel heaters1. It states that electricity is currently around four times more expensive than gas per unit, so although electric heating is more efficient than using a boiler, the higher cost of electricity more than offsets this1. Direct electric heating such as panel heaters and wall-mounted electric radiators is described as simple and cheap to install because it needs no pipes or radiators, but typically expensive to run on standard rate electricity1. Heat pumps are excluded from the trust's definition of electric heating because they do not use electricity to provide heat directly, and are described as about three times more efficient than standard electric heaters1.
The trust says homes do not have to be insulated to use electric heating, though an insulated home with well-controlled heating will reduce bills1. It also states that little maintenance is needed, with safety checks only every five years1. No end date for the RTS phase-out, no list of affected meter models and no supplier-by-supplier timetable appear in the page1.
Why it matters for households
An RTS meter controls when a home's heating and hot water run, and it is the mechanism behind cheaper off-peak electricity periods. A household on an RTS tariff that loses the service without a replacement loses the timed switching that makes storage heating economical, and with it the lower rates those homes rely on. Because the trust puts electricity at roughly four times the unit cost of gas, a storage heater or electric boiler running on standard rate electricity instead of an off-peak window changes the running cost of the whole system, not just the meter1. The replacement itself is a smart meter installation, which also determines what heating controls and time-of-use tariffs a home can use afterwards. The trust's stated position is that the household contacts its supplier to arrange the swap1; what each supplier must do, and by when, is not set out in this page.
What happens next
The page gives no dates for the stages of the phase-out and no deadline for contacting a supplier1. It directs readers to the trust's own blog on the RTS meter switch off for more information1.
Sources1 cited
- Electric heating - Energy Saving Trust, energysavingtrust.org.uk