Insulation lessons learned: radiator foil easy, thermostatic valves tricky

As well as such hedonistic pursuits as insulating the loft, I've recently being going wild with other draught-bashing and heat-saving tricks. Here's the verdict on radiator foil (to keep the heat in) and thermostatic valves (to keep the heat from getting excessive).

Radiator foil is basically aluminium foil with padding, designed to radiate heat back into the room rather than through the wall behind it. I can't find the Energy Saving Trust's figures, but I seem to recall the estimated saving a year for a 3-bed house is in the region of £10. Not much, but then the foil only costs £5 for a roll - enough for 4 big radiators - and the glue is another £5. Suffice to say, it's very easy to fit, even for a DIY disaster like me.

All you do is grab a tape measure, measure up - taking into account where the wall mounts are - snip with some scissors, slap the polystyrene glue on the back, slide it down and press it against the wall. I'm sure if you wanted to do a really neat job, you could go to the hassle of taking the radiator off, but the effect (see photo below) was good enough for me.

My wife says she can tell the room's warmer, though I couldn't honestly say I've noticed the difference. To source the raw materials, try your local DIY shop - mine were from B&Q, although the products aren't listed on its site.

And what of those thermostatic radiator valves (often called TRVs)? If you're new to them, the concept's simple. Fit one on each of your radiators and they'll detect when your desired temperature -20 degrees, say - has been reached, and then regulate the heating output so the temperature doesn't go above that. In short, they should require less gas to be burned, less carbon to be shoved into the atmosphere and fewer humans over-heated and drowsing into paperbacks.

Buying these for £5 each in B&Q (pictured left), the instructions looked like a DIY job. It's not. You'll need a plumber. And, as I discovered, you'll probably need that plumber for a couple of hours because they'll need to drain your entire central heating system, which at £80 an hour isn't cheap.

So unless you have some basic plumbing skills - which I don't - I'd recommend not bothering with thermostatic valves unless you're in the process of actually replacing the entire radiator. Otherwise, you simply won't make your money back. It's also worth noting the valves are fairly crude, as they're only measuring the temperature by the radiator - which might mean the wall by your radiator remains nice and toasty but your armchair's stays rather chilly. Generally, though, I've found they do what they say on the tin.

At some point I'll do the maths and post on whether this has had an impact on my gas bill (and accompanying carbon footprint).

Comments

[Anna-Lisa]

I have been meaning to do this for awhile, my local council has an offer on at the moment for the reflective strips so going to order them now!! I hope that it helps to make a real difference.

[Lizzie]

Hi, I've got a laundry question. (I know, on the whole it's still a good idea.) Apparently chlorine is impossible to remove from our sewage, and if allowed into groundwater it's a precursor of dioxin, a carcinogen. So I switched from chlorine bleach to a powdered peroxide bleach available at my co-op a long time ago.
Now I have a Qualm: how do you make peroxide bleach? Does it involve some kind of ruinous mining or ghastly processing? Please don't tell me to use lemon juice, it's hopeless. Thanks in advance.

[George Baker]

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[doug nicodemus]

did you put e-film on your windows? thats an easy one to do for renters? and line your doors and windows with weather stripping?

[fireplace-4u]

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[Ray]

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[Radiant Barrier]

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[Fireplace Inserts]

Although the annual savings doesn't seem like much it will add up over time. I love doing things one time and then saving money from then on without having to keep doing anything. It's good leverage. And think if everyone just saved a little more enery each year. It would make a difference.

[Steve]

What's all this about buying radiant barriers? They're a rip-off!

Just buy thin polystyrene sheets and stick alum foil on them!

Much cheaper, and the polystyrene is thicker and a better insulator.

Steve

[C Hughes]

I agree. Radiant barriers are a rip-off!