Martin Lewis settles debate on tin foil trick behind radiators this winter

Résumé détaillé

Money expert Martin Lewis has confirmed the long-standing advice about putting tin foil behind your radiators.

Money expert Martin Lewis has confirmed the long-standing advice about putting tin foil behind your radiators.

Shared repeatedly by the Express over the years as advice from various experts, fiscal heavyweight Martin Lewis has now weighed in on the ‘foil behind radiators trick’, to address whether the method is madness, myth or a Martin-approved mechanism to slash your heating bills. The foil trick involves taking reflective foil and placing it behind your radiator. This can be as simple as cheapy kitchen tin foil or a proper reflective panel bought from the likes of B&Q, Wickes and other DIY stores.

The science behind it is thought to be that the foil, or aluminium panelling, reflects the heat from behind the radiator back into the room, stopping it from being lost through the walls.

This works in a very similar way to the kitchen foil in windows trick in summer, whereby households are told to put tin foil in windows to bounce sunlight away from your house and keep the inside cool.

Given that energy regulator Ofgem has already increased energy bills by 4% from October, and current forecasts suggest that they will increase by a staggering 24% or more in January, now is a good time to shave every penny that you can from heating costs.

Speaking on an energy bills special of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on Tuesday, November 10, Martin Lewis told his ITV1 viewers about various radiator boosting tips to save money.

He said: “Look, if you’ve got radiators, walk round your house, the rooms you’re not using, that’s what the knob’s for. Turn them down. If they’re not warm throughout or they’re making gurgling noises, you need to bleed them to get the air out and reset them (make sure they’re turned off first so you’re not going to scald yourself).

“Fit reflective foil behind external walls, you can get specialist foil - only on external walls not interior walls. That works, doesn’t it?

“People are asking if it’s a myth, it’s not a myth. It really does work.

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