Households across the Isle of Wight are being urged to take prompt action as the national phase‑out of Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) electricity meters enters its final stage, with the remaining signal due to be switched off this summer.
RTS – a technology dating back to the 1980s – has long been used to control heating and hot‑water schedules in all‑electric homes and properties on tariffs such as Economy 7, Economy 10 and Total Heat Total Control.
But the equipment behind the system is now outdated and increasingly at risk of failure, prompting a nationwide replacement programme.
After a pause over the winter months to ensure customers did not lose control of heating during colder weather, the final phase of the switch‑off will restart this month (March).
Groups of customers will have their teleswitch signal withdrawn in stages over the coming months, with a target to complete the entire transition by summer 2026.
Since January 2025 more than 300,000 RTS meters have already been replaced, but as of late January this year, 154,000 RTS meters remained. With only 8,000 appointments booked, that leaves 146,000 installations still to be arranged.
Energy suppliers, alongside consumer groups and Ofgem, are urging households to book their replacement appointments as soon as possible to avoid losing control of heating and hot water when their area’s signal is switched off.
Homes and businesses that do not replace their RTS meter may find that:
- Heating or hot water fails to switch on or off correctly;
- Storage heaters charge at the wrong time, leading to higher bills;
- Tariffs no longer match usage;
- They are charged for energy at peak times without warning.
The replacement itself is free, and suppliers can advise customers about suitable tariffs to match their heating setup.
In most cases, the old meter will be swapped for a smart meter, which provides the same timed‑rate functions along with benefits such as automatic readings and access to a wider range of energy tariffs.
If customers are struggling with energy debt or worried about costs, they are encouraged to speak to their supplier as early as possible. Local energy charity, The Footprint Trust, can also offer support, help and guidance.
Energy suppliers will notify residents when their meter is scheduled for phase‑out but Islanders are urged not to wait. Appointments can be booked directly through supplier websites or customer service lines.
For more information, residents can visit Ofgem’s dedicated RTS webpage: Replacing your Radio Teleswitch electricity meter
“In most cases, the old meter will be swapped for a smart meter” means that you WILL have a “Smart” meter installed whether you like it or not.
Ask yourself this question: Why do the government fund endless adverts on TV with “has been” celebs in them extolling the advantages of “Smart” meters.
It is all part of the scam that will allow government to force electricity suppliers to TURN OFF your supply if they want to.
Look in your meter cabinet and if you do not see a meter like those shown by Citizens Advice, or the other identificating words Radio Teleswitch there, you do not have to do this. It is just more Nanny State interference!
There’s no scam. No energy supplier can turn off your smart meter without having peviously made numerous attempts to get a billing issue resolved. They can’t turn you off because they’ve had a bad hair day.
Anyone with more than one brain cell will have a smart meter and take advantage of the smart tariffs- like <5p/kWh for gas and sometimes actually get paid for using electricity. What’s not to like?
Stop posting misinformation.
There are only 5 countries in the world who energy is more expensive than the UK. They are Liechtenstein, Cayman Islands, Italy, Ireland and Bermuda.
We pay TWICE as much for our energy than the likes of Philippines, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Finland and Norway.
That “Misinformation” too numbnuts?
OMG, you are paranoid….
on the other hand,
you could have a smart meter, and benefit from remote, accurate, meter readings (no having to read the meter, or give someone access to do so) and potentially (depending on your supplier / chosen tarif) dynamic pricing, so you can choose when to use heavier demands for electricity & do so when it’s cheaper…
having worked in the electricty meter industry, I know that most, if not all, (non-pre-pay) domestic ‘smart’ meters, do not have the capability to ‘turn off’ your supply.
I have suffered insults much worse from those whose loyalty is with the rip-off merchants.
“Anyone with more than one brain cell” like Martin tell us that we can all have cheap gas and GET PAID for using electricity!
What planet is he on?
“Misinformation”?
Show me the tariff where we can all get rich!
And now you reckon that we should trust those “remote, accurate meter readings” and not read the meter ourselves which, incidentally is what I and thousands of others do because – guess what – we don’t trust the energy companies or the feckin Government, who are ripping us off daily with all this energy bullshit.
To add insult to injury they are wasting trillions on wind farms.
It is just the same with EVs. they can’t get us to buy them and now Vauxhall have told Milipede to “do one”: and are returning to producing diesel powered cars.
Finally “so you can choose when to use heavier demands for electricity & do so when it’s cheaper”.
So, what’s the plan Stan?
Get up at 3 in the morning to use the Washing machine, tumble drier and the cook dinner on your electric oven?
“you reckon thatwe should trust those “remote, accurate meter readings”
and yet, it would seem that by your own admission, you blindly accept the accuracy of the meter itself ???
I’d have far less trust in that, than the ‘remote’ reading facility,..
“Get up at 3 in the morning to use the Washing machine”
Yes,.. if you want to benefit from cheaper electricity
(or just set the ‘delay start’ function that most washing machines have, when you go to bed)
I’m sure even someone as blinkered as you would be able to work out how to do it.
“Show me the tariff where we can all get rich!”…
no-one’s suggesting you (the user) can get rich from using electricity….
Only the producers & utility companies do that…
(and re. “those whose loyalty is with the rip-off merchants”… I am dead against private companies getting rich off the back of hard-working families, which is why I am so against Reform and the Conservatives,.. as that is their main policy aim)
but you can have the opportunity to make it slightly cheaper..
I agree that energy prices are too high (certainly higher that most) in this country,…
but having a smart meter isn’t going to make it any more expensive and, for those who struggle to afford it, can offer (with a little bit of effort) the potential to save a little..
Not having a smart meter, on the other hand, definitely won’t save you money on your bills…
Are you the village idiot?
When I posted to your first peurile attempt at stringing a coherent sentence together, I was quoting YOU.
I never said “you could have a smart meter, and benefit from remote, accurate, meter readings”. That was YOU, you moron!
I am surprised that you ever HAD a job, let alone one working with electricity!
Domestic smart meters can be turned off…. but that would be a rare occurance. Prepay smart meters automatically disconnect after emergency credit runs out…
well when I was working on a project, working towards common communication protocols for smart meters,.. none of the meters I was workng with acutally had the physical ‘disconnector’ mechanism, to be able to do so…
But didn’t you say “No energy supplier can turn off your smart meter”?
Or was that misinformation?
Smart meters are not accurate.
But the choice should still be yours if you want one or not should it not!!if your service provider is told politely or not so to “do one”I do not have one of RTs I must add but Octopus still very keen for my new electricity meter it’s 5 years cold when house was rewired to have a smart meter I do t want or need one ,just me here And my dogs do not consume any electricity between them,I know my bill I know what I use ,so when Octopus was told “no thanks”they got very Ansy”but after realising it wasn’t happening they have for now backed off ,my house,my meter monitor bill ,my choice!.
Well done you.
It is called “freedom of choice”, something that idiot Wightlink does not seem to understand and his Government of choice led by Two Tier Keir will continue to erode.
yeah, absolutely I agree that you should have a choice.
Having had one installed a number of years ago, personally I prefer the convenience, and facility of a having smart meter..
if you prefer to do things manually, without the benefits (and without some people’s perceived risks), then I see no issue with that.
I have heard many smart meter installers say they
themselves would NEVER have a smart meter themselves.
Says it all!
you’ve met a lot of smart meter installers then ??
or ws it just one, with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly called multiple personality disorder ?
What do they think of your incessent ’20 is plenty’, and ‘everyone should have to pay for parking permits’ drivel then ?? (you must have told them…)
I’ve only met one Smart Meter Installer… he said he thought they were great
must have been a different one to the one you met.
Why would an electrity supplier want to turn customers off – no consumers don’t make the company money. It is true that there is an enormous push to install Smart meters and there must be a reason. I suspect it is more likely that it makes it possible for suppiers to collect a lot of information about customers’ consumption patterns which can be used to construct tariffs which generate the most income. Information collection is a massive industry because information is very valuable.
I’ve been trying to get a so-called smart meter installed for years – all I get is “no appointments available”.
It seems they’ve finally sorted out the inter-compatibility problem, allowing you to change supplers without having the meter changed.
And yes, you really CAN get paid to consume – it’s been done by large industrial consumers for years but typically for only half-an-hour at a time.
If you’ve got an EV then without a smart meter you really are missing out.