1. Letter from Consumer Scotland to Energy UK
Dhara Vyas
Chief Executive Officer
Energy UK
March 2026
Dear Dhara
RTS regional switch-off timings
Over the past year Consumer Scotland has been engaging closely with the process for the replacement of RTS meters and the phasing out of the signal that supports their operation.
We are pleased with the level of progress to date, and are reassured that early experiences of regional switch-offs have been positive, with few negative issues reported by consumers.
However, one area where we would welcome greater transparency is the timing of the signal switch-off by region.
Many households will turn to advice organisations and charities where they have problems with their energy supply. Now that the RTS signal switch-off has recommenced in Scotland, and the regions which are to be switched-off will contain increasing numbers of RTS meters, it is important that an appropriate level of informed support is on hand to address any
negative impacts to households.
To date, there has been little transparency over when individual regions would have the RTS regions switched off. We recognise that there are limitations to any regional information that is provided (for example, not every meter group code will sit within the region it was originally designated, and the ‘test and learn’ approach to the phase-out means that timings
are not precise). Nevertheless, it would greatly benefit consumers if more information is provided to trusted advice bodies and charities to enable them to line up appropriate levels of support and brief their advisors ahead of time. Without this information these organisations may not be able to effectively advise and support households that contact them.
We welcome the incremental progress that has recently been made in this regard, as Energy UK shared a very high-level summary of regional timings last week. We would request that this is made more granular to reflect council-level areas or similar, and provides for example a fortnightly schedule. The regions currently provided, such as the Highlands and Islands, are extremely large and limit the ability of local groups to provide support and amplify messages to affected consumers. A transparent, more localised, timetable will help enable those organisations responsible for advising consumers, often those in vulnerable situations, to provide appropriate support.
More broadly, we know that Energy UK will be encouraging its members to accelerate the pace of the meter replacement campaign. This slowed over the winter months, but it is critical that attention is now refocused on this to ensure that the minimum possibly number of RTS meters remain by the time the signal is fully switched off.
We look forward to continuing to engage constructively with Energy UK, its members, and Ofgem as the phase-out of RTS meters continues.
Yours sincerely
Sam Ghibaldan