What are RTS meters, and why are they being switched off?
The radio frequency that supports some types of electricity meters is due to be switched off in March 2025 – an extension to the original deadline. In this blog, we explain how to find out if you have a Radio Teleswitch Service meter, and how to upgrade your meter.
What are Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters?
RTS meters are a type of electricity meter that rely on a specific radio frequency to work. It was brought in to manage older, complex meters that enable customers to switch between on and off- peak rates – such as some Economy 7 meters – before smart meters came along.
Examples of RTS meters
You can usually find out if you have an RTS meter by looking for a separate switch box next to your meter, which will have a Radio Teleswitch Service label on it.
We’re in the process of contacting all of our affected customers to sort out their upgrade to a smart meter. However, there’s no need to wait for us to contact you – you can book in your free smart meter installation today.
When will RTS meters stop working?
The RTS frequency switch off date has been extended to March 2025 (inital plans were to switch it off on 31 March 2024). This is because the equipment that produces the radio signal can’t be adequately maintained anymore. This planned switch off will affect customers from all energy suppliers, not just Good Energy.
After this switch off, RTS meters will stop functioning properly, which might leave households unable to switch between peak and off-peak rates – and in some cases without heating and hot water.
If you think you have an RTS meter, please don’t worry. There is plenty of time to upgrade your meter before this planned switch off. We’ll be contacting all of our customers that are affected by this change to sort out their upgrade to a smart meter very soon.
Upgrade to a free smart meter
There are lots of benefits of getting a smart meter. These include:
Understand your energy usage: A smart meter will help you to understand how you are using your energy, and how much it costs – helping you to make small changes that over time make a big impact.
Save time: Smart meters send automatic meter readings to your energy provider – saving you time.
Access smart tariffs and schemes: Having a smart meter opens you up to joining smart tariffs and flexibility schemes that pay you for using less electricity – like Power Pause.
Make the grid greener: Getting an accurate view of how energy is used across the country helps us to make better use of renewable energy sources. It also helps to avoid expensive and polluting coal and gas back-up generators.
