Don’t get left in the cold: 600,000 customers with outdated electricity meters urged to act now

• Outdated Radio Teleswitch meters to stop working in June 2025
• 133,000 Octopus customers in Britain urged to respond to their supplier
• Octopus customers with RTS meters prioritised for engineer visits

London, 21st January 2025 – More than 600,000 households in the UK with outdated Radio Teleswitch (RTS) meters must switch to smart meters in the next six months to avoid getting cut off, Octopus Energy has today urged.

RTS equipment receives updates through Long Wave radio broadcast, the same radio frequency as the BBC uses for radio programming.

The BBC has announced plans to migrate unique Long Wave content to other broadcasting platforms – effectively ending RTS communication capabilities on 30th June 2025.

Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest energy company, is fast-tracking upgrades for its customers, covering nearly a quarter of affected households.

Additional engineers have been deployed to ensure all impacted properties can switch to smart meters before the deadline, minimising disruptions.

Aside from keeping their heating on, switching to a smart meter can bring a myriad of benefits – better overviews of energy usage, access to smart tariffs and the opportunity to take part in free-energy periods when the grid has lots of green energy.

Over 2 million Octopus Energy smart meter customers have saved over £100 million by taking part in smart tariffs and schemes.

Who is affected?

If a customer uses electricity for heating and hot water (via electric storage/panel heaters and/or immersion heaters), and has a tariff that offers cheaper rates during off-peak periods, they may have an RTS meter. Usually, there will be a large black box next to the meter (pictured below).

John Szymik, CEO of Octopus Energy Services, comments: "Octopus has boosted its service capability to offer fast-tracked assistance and ensure that no one is left without heating. We urge all affected customers, of any supplier, to book their meter exchange now to ensure a smooth transition."
Smart meters are important for the energy transition and unlock the power of smart tariffs. Customers with smart meters also have more control and oversight over their energy consumption and costs.
Octopus is also offering all RTS customers who opt for the switch a free Octopus Home Mini – the company’s very first hardware product, designed in-house and built in England.
The nifty device securely connects to a customer’s smart meter, giving customers real-time visibility of how much energy they are using and what costs – helping them to better manage their bills at the click of a button on their phone.
Affected customers who are looking to switch to a smart meter can register their interest on their online account here.
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Press Contacts
Octopus Energy Group
press@octoenergy.com
+44 (0)20 4530 8369
About Octopus Energy Group
Octopus Energy is a global clean energy tech business, driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Under its own retail brand, Octopus delivers world-class customer service and cutting edge energy products to 9 million households globally. Its operations span 27 countries and the entire energy value chain. The group invests in, builds and flexibly manages renewable energy, operating a £7 billion portfolio of projects.
Octopus has licensed its advanced data and machine learning platform, Kraken, to support over 54 million customer accounts worldwide through licensing deals with companies such as EDF, E.ON and Origin Energy. Kraken enables Octopus to drive the electrification of heat and transport through smart tariffs and innovative cleantech. Backed by pension funds, investors and energy giants, Octopus Energy Group businesses deliver cheaper, greener energy and cutting-edge tech to countries and customers worldwide. For more information, check out our website.