Economy 7 and 10 radio telesignal switch off

TheAuditor

Does anyone know if the Telesignal switch off is still going ahead on 30th June 2025?
I have one of these and the provider I have keep making me appointments to change it, however,
the company that comes round to change will not remove the built in cupboard it is in???

Thanks

Ildhund

Ofgem wrote in 2024 that RTS will be shut down on 30 June 2025. In the past few months, we've seen 'on' change to 'from', whatever that may mean. Some providers have aimed to get all their RTS customers smartened up before the cut-off date, but are expecting to have to do some mopping up of stragglers between 1 July and 30 September. No-one is saying whether this means the signal will be shut down but it won't matter much because heating will be turned off anyway, or that the signal may still be broadcast until 30 September. The only safe assumption is that RTS will cease to function on 30 June.

As regards your cupboard, it's not a meter engineer's job to dismantle or otherwise work on customers' own fixtures. If the RTS unit isn't in the same place as the electricity meter, there may be a problem with rewiring that would need an electrician's expertise. Is this the situation?

Scot_39

TheAuditor said:

Does anyone know if the Telesignal switch off is still going ahead on 30th June 2025?
I have one of these and the provider I have keep making me appointments to change it, however,
the company that comes round to change will not remove the built in cupboard it is in???

Thanks

The meter fitter is only responsible for the suppliers meter replacement.

In the simplest installs thats disconnect 4 or 5 meter tails  and replace the meter in roughly same position then reconnect the same meter tails.

If their is insufficient space around an old meter for a new meter they might refuse to fit.  Smart meters can be taller than others for jnstance which can create space issues in a cramped install space. 
But many but not all rts systems are quite large single meters or 2 meters or 1 meter 1 switch.

Are the meter fitters saying the cupboard has to be removed - and if so why - space / safety etc ?

And I am afraid meter cabinets - depending on age / type of install - often a complex - three way mix of responsibilities.

The cabinet itself is iirc nearly always responsibility of owner.  Certainly I've paid to have external door repaired to prevent meter being exposed to elements on a modern external wall mount cabinet.

Incoming supply to incoming fuse the responsibility of local dno (distribution network operator) company. 

The meter - often only the meter - but sometimes they will fit isolator switches or connection blocks to meter tails to complete install) the responsibility of your chosen supplier.

Any fuse boxes / consumer units present (more likely in older type installs like parents simple open wall install - that some owners then build own cabinets around for aesthetics - than modern homes with external meter cabinets) and wiring the responsibility of the owner.  Moving these would need your or landlords (private / HA / council)  own electrician.

Are you an owner / leaseholder or renting ?

And as above exactly why are they saying they need the cabinet removed - Space ? / safety ?

They clearly have a real concern if repeat visits have rejected the current setup.

Qyburn

It's now being said that there are no more spare valves for the transmitter, so next time one of the two fail it will go off whatever Ofgem or anyone else wants. So it's possible the switch off may be deferred yet again, but also possible it will just fail, maybe even before 30th June.

Just for reference an article 13 years ago mentioned that maybe only 10 of these valves existed in the whole world. 

Ildhund

Qyburn said:

... only 10 of these valves existed in the whole world. 

... which the Beeb went out and bought. The last two of them are the ones currently installed. Here's one under maintenance, just to give an idea of the size of them:

  

WiserMiser

More than 22 months ago it was agreed that the end of 2025 is the final deadline.

"The Issue Group recognised that all RTS devices need to be replaced by the end of 2025 as the BBC can no longer guarantee operational and maintenance service beyond this date.

Therefore, the Issue 108 group acknowledged that:
December 2025 is the absolute deadline to replace RTS;"

Similarly, as it's abundantly clear that there's no chance of all  RTSs having been replaced by the end of June, Scottish Power are now admitting that RTSs will continue to work in the absence of the long wave signal.

"When the RTS signal switches off, the meter should continue working on its current pattern".

Scot_39

Should isnt the same as guaranteed will.

It's hardly confidence inspiring.

These firms have had years of warning.

They have no excuses not to have complied.

Even if new design of meters required - or old ones ressurected like the liberty 114 / 116 7 port meters for multi rare multicircuit tariffs like thtc - they had more than enough warning / time to do so.

Lorian

I've not seen any announcements that's suggests Radio 4 will continue past 30th June, at least so far, but it's getting close.

Phones4Chris

Radio 4 will continue past 30th June - as it's on DAB and FM  but of course RTS doesn't use those. The LW signal may continue for a while OR the current valves in use may fail before then!

Reed_Richards

When the engineer came to fit my smart meter, he told me that there wasn't enough room and left.  I had to pay for an electrician to move another meter in order for the smart meter to fit.  But I did then get a smart meter and it is saving me a lot of money by giving me access to a Time of Use tariff.