Thousands of households in Leicester have been warned they could be left without heating and hot water this summer. Officials on Leicester City Council are calling on people to act now in a bid to avoid issues down the line.
The warning has been issued because people's homes may be reliant on an outdated style of electricity meter which is being phased out. People whose homes use the 40-year-old Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), have been told on today (Thursday, February 27) they need to act now to get a free replacement.
Up to 4,000 homes in Leicester - and 600,000 across the country - are believed to be using the system. The RTS system, which uses radio signals to tell electricity meters to switch heating or hot water systems on or off, will no longer work after June this year.
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A national taskforce has been set up to upgrade people's old systems before the switch-off. Customers can now make appointments with their energy suppliers to have their outdated RTS meters replaced with new smart meters at no additional cost. Energy suppliers will also be contacting customers directly. Work in Leicester will be led by E.ON Next.
Leicester City Council is supporting the campaign and have urged those whose homes use the old system - or who thinks that they might do – to contact their energy supplier as soon as possible. Deputy City Mayor Elly Cutkelvin said: “We know that Leicester has a relatively high number of households with electric storage heating systems that will likely be connected to an old-style RTS meter.
"These meters need to be replaced as soon as possible to ensure that people aren’t left without heating when the switch-off happens this summer. The process to replace your RTS meter is usually straightforward and is carried out at no cost to the household.
"But time is running out. Energy suppliers will be contacting affected households directly and we would urge anyone affected to make an appointment to have their meter upgraded as soon as possible.”
The national RTS Taskforce was launched in January. Its members include energy regulator Ofgem and trade association Energy UK and is supported by consumer group National Energy Action. The group is urging owners of RTS electricity meters to act now.
Charlotte Friel, director for retail pricing and systems at Ofgem, said: “One of the key functions of the RTS Taskforce is identifying hotspot areas that need more targeted resources to accelerate the upgrade programme. So it is pleasing to see E.ON Next and other energy suppliers pushing to drive up the replacement rate in Leicester.
“This is a positive declaration of intent to meet the RTS challenge head-on, so our message to people in the city is that support is ready and waiting. If you are contacted by your energy supplier to arrange an appointment, please book it.”
Dhara Vyas, chief executive at Energy UK, added: “It’s really important that anyone with an RTS meter has it replaced as soon as possible – delaying this could result in their heating and hot water not working properly. Contacting their supplier to arrange a replacement - at no extra cost to the customer - as soon as possible will minimise the disruption, help ensure a smooth upgrade to a smart meter and mean that customers continue to enjoy the benefits they currently get from their RTS meter.”
More information is available on the city council’s website.
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