UK households to lose heating and hot water as key service axed

Households are being warned they could beryllium near without heating oregon blistery h2o (Image: Getty)

UK households with aged 1980s energy meters look losing their heating and blistery h2o arsenic a work is axed this year.

Energy regulator Ofgem and commercialized relation Energy UK are urging households that person a vigor teleswitch work (RTS) metre to “act now” and get a metre upgrade from their energy supplier up of the system’s switch-off.

Any households that don’t update look being near without heating oregon blistery water, arsenic good arsenic perchance higher vigor bills, arsenic the strategy is deactivated aboriginal this year.

RTS meters were archetypal introduced successful the 1980s and trust connected longwave vigor signals from the BBC’s RTS meters to power meters betwixt highest and off-peak tariff rates. But the instrumentality which broadcasts the awesome is present astir obsolete and is being switched disconnected connected June 30.

Ofgem and Energy UK person present launched a run to promote households to enactment earlier the work is axed.

An Ofgem spokesperson said: “The run has been launched due to the fact that of the urgent request to summation the complaint of RTS metre upgrades crossed Great Britain earlier the awesome is switched disconnected from June 30 2025.

“It is important that RTS customers publication their installation arsenic soon arsenic they are contacted by their supplier. All customers should person been contacted by their supplier by the extremity of 2024.

“Failure to enactment whitethorn effect successful the heating and/or blistery h2o being continually near connected oregon off, oregon the charging-up happening astatine the incorrect clip of day, starring to higher bills.”

Ofgem said the replacement of an RTS metre comes astatine nary other outgo but warned customers to beryllium wary of scams.

The regulator said customers volition not beryllium asked to supply outgo details oregon marque immoderate outgo erstwhile booking an assignment with their vigor supplier.

As of January 2025, Ofgem said determination were astir 600,000 RTS meters successful Britain, meaning much than fractional a cardinal homes are astatine hazard of losing their heating and blistery h2o unless they instrumentality action.

The run is being supported by substance poorness charities National Energy Action and Energy Action Scotland, who pass the switch-off could negatively interaction poorer and much isolated areas.

Danni Barnes, manager of improvement and partnerships astatine National Energy Action, said: “Radio teleswitch meters are often utilized with ageing electrical heating systems, which are much communal successful areas experiencing terrible substance poverty.

“The switch-off could exacerbate costs for households already struggling and effect successful households losing power of their heating and blistery water. In the worst cases, immoderate whitethorn not beryllium capable to usage their heating oregon blistery h2o astatine all.”