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Do insulated radiator panels save money? - I'm testing them now

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  • Can I just say, I have cavity wall insulation, and I have also installed some of these radiator panels. I have really noticed how much warmer it is indoors now and even during this cold spell the heating hardly clicks on. I have the thermostat set at 18c and apart from the intial warm up when the heating comes on at 5.30 till 7.30 to warm the house before everyone gets up, the heating has only clicked on once since then. I have over ridden the timer switch as I am indoors nursing a broken leg. This has enabled me to have 'the feel' of the house during the day as I am usually at work.

    I have to say the panels do make the radiator reflect more heat, as to whether I will save money on heating I will have to wait till the next bill arrives on the mat.
  • pinball13 wrote: »


    yes thats the link that google also brought up for me , that Cardew says doesnt exist.....

    although £5 per year (minimum) isnt exactly alot
  • Pincher
    Pincher Posts: 6,552 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I couldn't work out whether it's £5 per panel, or £5 per household.
  • DVardysShadow
    DVardysShadow Posts: 18,949 Forumite
    I'm not going to keep posting here but your question has a simple answer. The radiator may be covering only 3% of the wall but it is generating 100% of the heat. So any device addressing heat-loss has 100% to work on, not 3%.
    That might convince the gullible.

    But the device fixed to the wall only has the %age going out through the wall to work on. If it has 100% to work on, then it is insulating the radiator. Which is a waste of effort.
    Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,060 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    yes thats the link that google also brought up for me , that Cardew says doesnt exist.....

    although £5 per year (minimum) isnt exactly alot

    I don't know how long that has been on the EST website, but I rang them on 15 Nov 2010 and their rep was not aware of any information on the panels.

    The guy from the manufacturers(Graham Page) wrote:
    You are right about the Energy Savings Trust who have not looked at radiator panels yet. I can't speak for them but you might want to ask again in a few months' time.

    Even the article is hardly a test - states they work best on uninsulated walls(presumably non-cavity or not dry-lined)

    How do they conclude savings of £5?
  • well the link on the energysaving trust website says they can save between £5 and £25 a year , so i guess they use the same metric for savings as everything else they give for saving money eg for cavity wall insulation they say it can save between £80 and £310 for the `standard` cavity fill of foam/beads or fibre.

    but as has been said ofc , in a well insulated house , savings would be at the lower end ofc.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,060 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    Right, let us try and put this saga to bed once and for all!

    There has been correspondence with the Energy Saving Trust(EST) in this thread about potential savings with these panels. Read it here:

    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/38979710#Comment_38979710

    The EST came up initially with a figure of £6 a year saving for a typical 3 bed semi using professionally installed panels and £3.50 a year for DIY. That is on the whole house.

    They quoted a very detailed CERT report which had calculated the savings. However on reading the report it transpired EST had missed that those meagre savings only applied if the panels were used on the outside walls of houses with solid walls or walls without cavity insulation.

    The CERT report was quite clear that savings were minimal(could not be measured) on houses with cavity insulated walls and so the panels should only be used on houses with solid walls; and EST have agreed with this view. EST had used the solid wall savings to reach the £6 or £3.50 savings.

    So there you have it! Savings on solid walled houses £3.50 to £6 a year. With insulated cavity walled houses they save nothing!

    They are a waste of money for most of us.
  • I have had the panels behind my rads for over a year now and I am not sure whether or not I saved anything tbh. On my bills (EDF) it shows that I have used less gas than last year to date but I have had a new boiler put in two years ago, my work patterns are the same so whether or not I have actually saved anything is now beyond me. I dont feel the house is any warmer - in fact last night it took 4 hours for my house to warm up when I got back from work - I have insulation everywhere except under the floorboards. My windows are going to need replacing within the next two years. I think I have fallen for the old marketing blurb though and reading Cardews posts he just confirms it!! As for marmitepotato's heating hardly coming on - he must have some ultra-mega-uber fab insulation that is different to mine....perhaps he can enlighten us all with what kind he has!!

    Mrs s
  • With at least adequate timing, this paper has been published this month.

    (search google for "The effect of surface roughness and emissivity on radiator output"). As a new user, I can't put in the link.

    This is some lab tests on these exact panels. The reason that they appear to save money, is that by keeping the walls colder they reduce the heat to the room. In return they increase the turbulence in the flow, and hence increase it up to the original output.

    By keeping the wall cooler, they can save an amount of heat loss. If you can get them cheaply enough, put them on. However, as has been stated earlier, the aluminised foam or bubble wrap is just as good, and much cheaper.
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