THERE’S nothing more frustrating than trying to get a room warm when the radiators are blasting heat and doing nothing.
So it’s no wonder homeowners are flocking to Screwfix, to stock up on a £5.69 buy that makes “such a difference” to keeping their rooms warm.
One person took to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips group on Facebook to ask for advice, writing: “Does the metallic foil behind radiators really work before I go and buy some?
“I only ask as although radiators feel hot I just don’t feel my house is warm.”
And the comments section was almost immediately filled with people sharing their own experiences with the foil, which fits behind radiators and reduces heat loss by reflecting heat back into the room.
“I have noticed a big difference since I did it,” one wrote.
Read more Heating stories
“I notice a difference yes – had mine on for a year,” another added.
“We just did this last week as our house is always cold,” a third commented.
“We can definitely feel the difference!”
“Yes I’ve used it for years,” someone else said.
“This year I’ve replaced some. Got mine from amazon. Made a difference putting it behind every radiator.”
“My dad used to swear by it,” another wrote.
“I just put some behind our radiators has definitely helped – I got mine from Amazon,” someone else said.
And the positive reviews kept on coming on the Screwfix website, where happy customers weighed in on the Essentials Radiator Heat Reflector Foil.
“Snug as a bug, keeping the heat in my room not on my walls,” one wrote.
“Easy to fit as I had already removed radiator from wall as needed to remove old wallpaper for decorating,” another added.
“I used strong wide ‘silver’ sticky tape on all 4 sides to stick the foil directly to the wall.”
While a third said it also worked a treat in their static caravan.
4 ways to keep your energy bills low
Laura Court-Jones, Small Business Editor at Bionic shared her tips.
1. Turn your heating down by one degree
You probably won’t even notice this tiny temperature difference, but what you will notice is a saving on your energy bills as a result. Just taking your thermostat down a notch is a quick way to start saving fast. This one small action only takes seconds to carry out and could potentially slash your heating bills by £171.70.
2. Switch appliances and lights off
It sounds simple, but fully turning off appliances and lights that are not in use can reduce your energy bills, especially in winter. Turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use, can save you up to £20 a year on your energy bills
3. Install a smart meter
Smart meters are a great way to keep control over your energy use, largely because they allow you to see where and when your gas and electricity is being used.
4. Consider switching energy supplier
No matter how happy you are with your current energy supplier, they may not be providing you with the best deals, especially if you’ve let a fixed-rate contract expire without arranging a new one. If you haven’t browsed any alternative tariffs lately, then you may not be aware that there are better options out there.
“Seems to work,” they commented.
“Definitely noticed more heat in our static caravan – not sure how these fare in houses but static vans lose a lot of heat through the walls.”
Meanwhile, other people commenting on the Facebook post offered their own suggestions on how to keep heat in a room.
“I have the foil it helped a bit, but putting up wardrobe dehumidifier packs (from B&M) helped more,” one wrote.
“They take the moisture out of the air, really helped me.
“I was always saying I felt cold then started to use these and was surprised how much dampness was in the air.”
“What really works is to have a heater in front of a small air flow,” another suggested.
“Heat produced by the heater will heat up the air flow as it travels across it & carry on flowing to heat up the room.”
“I have a radiator fan,sits on top of radiator and blows out hot air from the radiator into the room,” a third commented.
“Try a dehumidifier instead,” someone else said.
“My house feels so much warmer since I had one!”
