A heating expert has shared an innovative way to keep homes warmer this winter – and it won’t cost you a penny
A heating guru has revealed a nifty trick to help Brits keep their homes toasty this winter – and it involves not binning your old crisp packets. Instead of chucking them in the rubbish, UK households are being advised to repurpose their old crisp packets to help keep their homes snug this winter.
This clever home hack involves placing an empty crisp packet behind your radiator for ‘simple yet effective’ results. Heating whizz Mark McShane, from Boiler Cover UK, explains that doing so will enhance your radiator’s efficiency, meaning you won’t need to have the heating on as long AND it’ll save you money too.
Mark elaborated: “By positioning a reflective material, such as an empty crisp packet, behind your radiators, you can reflect the heat back into your room instead of letting it escape through the walls. It’s a straightforward, cost-effective way to maximise your heating.”
- To give this simple trick a go, cut your crisp packet so that it lays flat and then give it a good clean.
- Next, simply attach the crisp packet to the wall behind your radiator using double-sided tape and watch the trick work.
- The reflective surface will help direct more heat back into the room. This, in turn, helps you to feel warmer without increasing your energy usage.
It’s the same principle as using aluminium foil or reflective panels – a tip previously shared by Martin Lewis. He stated that using these items behind your radiators will direct heat away from your walls and back into the room. A five metre sheet costs about £15.
Money-saving maestro Martin Lewis has unveiled how Brits can use a budget-friendly item to significantly slash heating bills this winter.
On his BBC Podcast, Mr Lewis shared some savvy tips on how to keep your home warm without breaking the bank.
He suggested: “A tip for you reflective panels behind radiators. Sheets of reflective material can be placed behind radiators. Crucially this is on external wall radiators so the heat doesn’t escape. If you don’t want to pay for those then tin foil can work although it doesn’t work quite as well.”
Currently, a 4-metre roll of radiator heat reflector foil is available at Screwfix for just £6.38, a saving of 15 per cent. He also offered more advice on radiators.
He advised: “If you’ve got radiators in rooms that you’re not using, go and turn them off before you turn the heating on so you’re not wasting cash overheating empty spaces. Changing the flow rate on your boiler can cut gas bill by over 9% and you won’t notice the change.”
Mr Lewis also warned listeners about a ‘demon appliance’ that could be costing them a fortune. He revealed: “Do you know what the real ‘demon appliance’ is in most people’s houses – the one that you don’t want to use because it’s really expensive.
“Tumble dryers. You’re typically paying up to a quid per load so dry your clothes on an airer outside, to shorten the amount of time you’re using your tumble dryer, or avoid using it completely. Those who have de-humidifiers those can take some of the moisture out of it. It’s less wattage than a tumble dryer so it can be more cost effective.”
Further money-saving tips included: “Check your TV’s on a low energy setting too and walk around your house. Be a draft detector – what drafts can you spot as you walk around your house? And then try, if you can, to seal them up.”
On his BBC Sounds podcast, 5 Live listener Rob had spotted his flat getting progressively damper after trying to air his washing indoors.
He asked: “If I was to buy a dehumidifier, would it be cheaper than using the heating to keep the place dry?”.
Martin replied: “Dehumidifiers take water out of the air rather than use the heating and they’re much lower wattage appliances than standard heating. So if the dehumidifier works for you, it will definitely have lower electricity bills.”
