The claim

The radiator booster improves the circulation of air around the radiator, helping to increase the effectiveness of the emitted heat and therefore saving up to £140 on your heating bills by lowering consumption. It can pay for itself in as little as 8 weeks.

How does it work?

Using a series of mini fans, the Radiator booster circulates patches of hot air that are trapped behind a radiator. Once the temperature of the radiator reaches 30C, the fans automatically switch on, sucking up hot air and circulating it around the room.

How did it work for me?

I do sometimes feel that my radiators are not working as efficiently as they perhaps could do, and therefore I was curious when I saw the Radiator Booster concept. If it was able to circulate the hot air trapped behind the radiator then surely I wouldn’t need to have my thermostat set quite so high and I would therefore save money on my energy bills.

It was easy to set up, just a simple plug-in and place, and seemed to fit in well with the room. The real test would obviously take place when the radiators were on and above the 30C required to turn the boosters on. While I have to say I could hear the immediate moment that they came on, I soon got used to the very faint ‘whirring’ noise and any television or music being played drowns out the sound completely.

I set up a series of thermometers around the room and took readings before and after the radiator booster was installed. While I didn’t particularly notice any obvious differences in the temperature before looking at the results, they clearly showed a positive change of around 2C.

Negatives: Obvious sound issues may be a concern to many; along with the potentially negative view many people may hold towards their aesthetic feel. They also require a plug socket within a sensible distance from the radiator.

Positives: The increase in temperature consistency throughout the room cannot be ignored, and the savings that these can lead to may be worth the negatives.

The Claim

Radflek is a revolutionary energy saving radiator reflector that reflects 95% of the wasted heat energy radiated from the rear of a radiator back into your room and claims to cut heat escaping through the walls by 45%.

Radflek is a laminated aluminium foil with a long lasting coating that prevents oxidation and preserves its high reflectivity. With Radflek, less energy is needed to heat the room to your desired temperature and so your energy bills will be less. Radflek is at least 23% more efficient than any saw-toothed reflector and will typically pay for itself in under a year. It also lasts many times longer and is much better than using standard foil.

How does it work?

The aluminium foil is positioned down the back of the radiator and then as heat is emitted, instead of going out through the wall, the infrared heat hits the foil and gets reflected back into the room thereby reducing heat loss from the radiator.

How did it work for me?

Radflek is really easy to install for starters. You simply unroll it, cut to the desired length, then hang it behind the radiator. It requires very little maintenance, just the occasional dust, which is easily done by lifting it out by its hooks.

How well do they work? Well, the science tells us that they do reduce heat loss. Practically, you probably have to be careful that instead of making savings, the house will just be a little warmer. The difference between 21 degrees and 22 is pretty small, and you will only get the energy saving benefit if you consequently use your heating less. If you have a good thermostat you may find the heating is on a little less. If you rely on a programmer, try just cutting the time it is on by 15 minutes.

I have a couple of radiators on internal walls so I thought it might be worth putting the reflectors on them. Although it wont affect the energy bills, it will make the room heat a little quicker, as more heat is reflected into the room, instead of heating the walls.

It is really important to manage expectations with these reflectors. They will reduce your heat loss and you should see a little fuel bill benefit, but given the relatively small cost, you may only see savings of ten or twenty pounds – worth it in the long run, but easily going unnoticed.