Radflek Radiator Reflector Review – Not Just Hot Air

Radflek radiator reflector review

As the cold weather really starts to set in, I thought I’d look at what I could do to keep my flat warm without having the heating on so much.

I’m lucky that my flat seems to stay fairly warm anyway and I can have my heating on quite low but I am always looking for ways to make my home more energy efficient so I bought some Radflek Radiator Reflectors.

Radflek claim that their radiator reflectors reduce heat loss through external walls by up to 45% and they do come recommended by the Energy Saving Trust.


Click here to buy Radflek radiator reflectors from Amazon.co.uk

Installation

I’m going to give Radflek full marks for making the whole installation process easy and it really only takes a few minutes. Here is an overview of the product and how to fit them direct from Radflek:

As you can see, it is just a matter of measuring your radiator correctly, cutting the material to fit and then slipping two plastic clips on to hang over the wall brackets behind your radiator.

I didn’t bother measuring the height, instead I just folded the material over the plastic clips one extra time so that the reflector did not poke out at the bottom.

Effectiveness

These Radflek brand reflectors have received some great reviews across the internet so they must do some good. Personally, it’s quite hard to tell just how well they are working right now. I guess it seems like my boiler ignites a little less often but I’ve not done any scientific testing to confirm this.

One thing I have noticed is that there is less condensation on my living room windows and I wonder if that has something to do with the reflectors. Maybe it is a sign that more heat is being reflected back into the room before rising up to the windows sill.

Why Not Just Use Foil?

I’ve seen a few reviews that say this idea is not new and that people have been using kitchen foil for the same purpose for decades or more but I have to side with the science and what I see before me and say that Radflek reflectors are much more effective.

They are thicker and have a laminated coating which means they are stronger too. I can definitely see how they would work better than traditional foil and apparently as foil dulls and tarnishes from atmospheric exposure, it’s effectiveness would fall even further and it would need to be replaced.

Ofgem have even confirmed that Radflek radiator panels are the most effective means of reflecting heat back into the room.

I would imagine using kitchen foil would be more time consuming and fiddly to install than this product so there’s one more reason to opt for the purpose made product.

How Many Do I Need?

I used two sheets to do one long radiator in my living room and have been left with 1 full sheet and two smaller pieces that I can put on my kitchen radiator and my bedroom radiator (although in truth I barely have the radiator on in my bedroom because of my Dreamland Intelliheat mattress protector).

The two smaller pieces can be put together using one of the many slide-on clips that come with the pack.

Radflek reckon you can get 2 radiators per sheet and for small radiators in hallways and box bedrooms this may be the case but in general I think you’ll need 1-2 sheets per large radiator.

Conclusion

It seems clear to me that most houses could benefit somewhat from fitting Radflek radiator reflectors. Properties without cavity wall insulation would see the biggest net heat gain but even the most efficiently insulated wall loses some heat from the radiator.

According to Radflek, each sheet can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 8.9kg and a household fitting 20 sheets in all their rooms could save £49 a year on their energy bills.

I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for ways of reducing their bills and keeping warm this winter. So if you want to pick some of these up, click here to go to Amazon and purchase some from there.

Don’t just take my word for it either, here’s a satisfied customer who phoned up BBC London to rave about how good they are:

Steve (156 Posts)

I am chief writer and editor on Green Steve. Blogging since 2011, I like to delve into a wide number of topics to help people reduce their carbon footprint. You should follow me on Twitter here. And add me to your Google+ circles here.

Hire Me - did you enjoy this post? Let me write thought provoking environmental and green living articles for your website or blog

Comments are closed.

Stay Warm This Winter Without Burning Cash

It's dark when I wake up, my slippers have come out of their summer hibernation and a nice warm bowl of soup seems a lot more tempting to me now than it did a month ago...yes, that's right...winter is comin...
Dreamland Intelliheat - Warm Bed, Happy Wallet

February finally brought the big chill after an otherwise mild winter, relatively speaking, and even though temperatures have only occasionally crept below zero in central London, the cold can still bite in...
300,000 Tonnes CO2e Caused By Unused Internet Routers

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you'll know that I am a big believer in making the small changes to your lifestyle that might seem almost pointless individually but can result in significant amoun...
Dramatic Crash in Cavity Wall Insulations in the Wake of the Green Deal

Since the launch of the government's green deal initiative, installation of cavity wall insulation has fallen by 97%. Prior to the current scheme insulation could be fitted either for free, or with the a...
We Suck At Home Energy Efficiency

I don't know about you but I've had to get some of my winter clothes out of their "hibernation" because of this rather shitty weather we're experiencing now and all hope of an Indian summer is lon...
Beeny Urges Households To Switch To LED

You've got to love the Beeny, not only is she the straight-talking presenter of numerous Channel 4 property shows, saviour of a historical building (Rise Hall) and all-round nice person, now she has turned ...