Plans to discontinue the 40-year-old Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) have surfaced, prompting concerns for nearly a million households reliant on the service to switch to smart meters.
Approximately 900,000 customers, predominantly off the gas network and utilising electricity for heating and hot water, benefit from Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs, offering cheaper power during off-peak hours.
Households utilising electricity for heating and hot water, particularly those under Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs, may possess RTS equipment, typically identified as a large black box adjacent to the meter.
Energy suppliers have been mandated by the government to replace all RTS meters with smart meters by 2025.