Don’t get left in the dark: 90,000 outdated electricity meters in the North of England need switching - are you affected?

• Outdated Radio Teleswitch meters could stop working in June 2025
• 90,000 homes in the North of England will be affected, customers urged to contact their supplier if they have a Radio Teleswitch meter
• Octopus to boost engineer availability in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield to fast-track new meter installations

Manchester/Leeds/Sheffield, 13th August, 2024 – More than 90,000 households in Northern England with outdated Radio Teleswitch (RTS) meters must switch to smart meters in the next year to avoid potential supply disruptions, Octopus Energy has today urged.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 June 30th 2025.

Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest power company, and the supplier of almost a quarter of affected homes in the North, is launching a campaign today to help fast-track its RTS customers' new meter installations.

Octopus Energy engineers will have added capacity to visit all affected properties in the North across this summer and autumn.

Its RTS customers will be fast-tracked to getting a smart meter, minimising any potential disruptions to their energy supply.

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 power. We urge all affected customers, of any supplier, to book their meter exchange now to ensure a smooth transition."

Smart meters are extremely 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 that costs - helping them to better manage their bills at a 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.

-ENDS-

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 8 million households globally. Its operations span 18 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.