Ofgem publishes update for 800,000 energy customers ahead of huge change to bills

The update impacts households which person energy meters that trust connected the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) to acceptable the complaint of vigor arsenic this strategy is acceptable to beryllium turned disconnected adjacent year

An update has been issued up of a immense alteration to energy bills next twelvemonth which volition interaction implicit 800,000 households.

The update impacts households which person energy meters that trust connected the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) to acceptable the complaint of energy. This work charges them cheaper rates depending connected the clip of day. The devices, specified arsenic Economy 7 and different multi-rate vigor tariffs, prime up the antithetic vigor rates done the RTS awesome - this is broadcast alongside the long-wave transmission for BBC Radio 4.

Some RTS energy meters tin besides automatically crook heating and blistery h2o systems connected and disconnected during definite hours. However, the work is being turned disconnected connected June 30 2025. This work is being turned disconnected connected June 30 2025 and earlier this date, vigor customers relying connected the Economy 7 strategy volition request to person a astute metre installed to debar imaginable disruption to their supply.

Ofgem published an update precocious up of the alteration adjacent twelvemonth detailing the caller enactment program for its Radio Taskforce Service Taskforce. According to the update, the RTS taskforce is made up of organisations and companies from the vigor assemblage including:

• Ofgem
• Energy suppliers
• Smart Energy GB
• Distribution Network Operators (DNOs)
• The government

The task unit has pledged to "work together" to velocity up the complaint astatine which RTS meters are replaced earlier the power off. At the existent pace, it would instrumentality until 2028 for each of the RTS meters crossed the UK to beryllium upgraded. To bash this, it volition beryllium focusing resources connected determination “hot spots” wherever determination are the astir RTS customers, fast-tracking RTS customers for metre upgrades, and prioritising upgrades for customers who are known to beryllium vulnerable. The groups volition besides beryllium providing monthly updates connected however galore meters person been replaced

The 10 vigor companies who person signed up are British Gas, EDF, E.On, Octopus, Ovo, Scottish Power, So Energy, SSE, Total Energies, Utilita and Utility Warehouse. If you person an RTS meter, past you volition request to regenerate it earlier the deadline. This is due to the fact that from June, these meters could beryllium near jammed connected highest clip energy rates depending connected erstwhile the RTS awesome dies.

This could pb to immense measure spikes for households. Household who person an RTS meter, oregon those who are not definite if they person one, should interaction their vigor supplier for advice. The supplier should past beryllium capable to marque an assignment for an technologist to sojourn their location and check. Energy companies person been contacting customers astir the switch-off since 2023. But nether the caller plans suppliers volition interaction each RTS customers by December 31 2024 to fto them cognize that RTS volition beryllium unopen down.

Households volition besides beryllium told wherefore it is important that their work is upgraded and they volition beryllium offered an assignment to person their metre upgraded. It usually takes astir 2 hours for an RTS metre to beryllium upgraded but immoderate cases whitethorn request much than 1 sojourn by an engineer. Many properties with RTS meters are successful agrarian areas oregon connected islands.