Best radiator reflector 2023: The simple way to make your radiators more effective

Oct 18, 2023

With new boilers costing thousands and fitting new radiators costing hundreds, boosting the efficiency of your central heating system can be expensive. But radiator reflectors are a cheap and extremely effective way of cutting your home heating costs.

The concept is very simple: as a radiator emits heat, much of it is lost to the wall, however radiator reflectors will do just as their name suggests and reflect the heat back into the room

There are a range of different types of radiator reflectors on the market, with some manufacturers claiming they can reflect around 95% of the heat. They’re quick and easy to fit, and, depending on the reflector you choose, you might find you can improve the efficiency of several radiators at once.Given how effective and cheap they are, they’re a must-have for anyone serious about reducing their energy bills.

We looked at the main types of radiator reflectors, how much coverage you get for your money, the ease of installation, and their claimed savings. Finally, we took online review ratings from a variety of sources into account and brought you the very best in our roundup below.

Radiator reflectors will work with most radiators, although they’re easiest to hide behind the more commonly used panel radiators. If you’ve got a designer radiator, or a traditional-style column radiator, you may be able to see the silver reflector through it. Bear in mind that magnetic reflectors won't stick to aluminium or other non-magnetic radiators.

Some radiator reflectors are made from laminated metal foil with a highly reflective coating, while others are more like bubble wrap coated with a metallic film. Either are hard-wearing and resistant to high temperatures over long periods of time, representing a fit-and-forget solution.

Different radiator reflectors will be fitted in different ways. Some will hang off the brackets fixing the radiators to the walls, some will use self-adhesive pads, and some are magnetic. Again, it's important to note that magnetic reflectors won't stick to aluminium radiators.

Around 40% of the heat released by a radiator is directed at the wall, where much of it is absorbed and lost. The amount of heat reflected back will depend on the radiator reflector you use, but Radflek and SuperFOIL Radpack are regarded as the most efficient – these brands claim that 95% of this lost heat can be reflected back into the room. Radflek says a single sheet could save nearly 9kg of CO2 and up to 83kWh per year. At the current energy cap price of 10p per kWh of gas, that's a potential annual saving of £8.30 per sheet.

The precise amount you will save will also vary depending on the gap between the radiator and the wall – ideally it should be around 25mm – but pretty much everyone could benefit from fitting reflectors around the house.

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Price: £40 | Buy now from Amazon

Radflek is arguably the biggest name in the radiator reflector market, and is recommended by the Energy Saving Trust. Radflek claims 95% of heat that would otherwise be lost through the wall is redirected back into the room, and it’ll pay for itself in less than a year. Impressively, the coating should retain its reflectivity for at least 60 years.

Fitting takes minutes: cut the sheets to size with a pair of scissors and then suspend them using the supplied clips which hang on the radiator's wall brackets. Once installed, they can't be seen. And they can mount on curved radiators, although the process is a little more complicated.

Each sheet is big enough for two average-sized radiators, and offcuts can be combined using Radflek's Radstik tape, which should make the pack go even further. It's possible a single pack could be enough for all radiators in a typical house. If there's a drawback, it's that Radflek only covers the area between the radiator's brackets, meaning a few inches on each side won't be covered.

Key specs – Sheets in pack: Five; Average radiators covered: Five to ten; Size: 60 x 120cm; Thickness: 0.2mm

Price: £21 | Buy now from Amazon

To understand how SuperFOIL's RadPack works, you only need to hold a piece of bubble wrap because the concept is the same. The tiny trapped pockets of air in RadPack form an insulating barrier that keeps warmth in. Which means it's substantially thicker than Radflek, but it should still fit easily behind the majority of radiators.

RadPack also claims to reflect 95% of lost heat back in the room and, thanks to the use of self adhesive pads, you should be able to cover more or less the entire back of each radiator for maximum effect. Fitting simply requires cutting the material to size with a pair of scissors, then cutting slits for it to fit over the radiator brackets. Using some of the 12 included self-adhesive pads, RadPack sticks to the wall rather than the radiator. It's certainly simple, but it does mean it may be possible to see the reflector once fitted.

Key specs – Sheets in pack: One; Average radiators covered: Three; Size: 60 x 500cm; Thickness: 3mm

Price: £28 | Buy now from Amazon

Warmroom's approach is different to the others here. Rather than requiring lots of measuring and cutting, Warmroom supplies six magnetic panels, 20cm wide and 50cm long. Fitting requires little more than dangling it down the back of the radiator and moving it until it pings to the metal. The beauty of this solution is that they will only require cutting in certain circumstances, and they can easily be removed to give them a wipe periodically. The drawback is that one pack of six is only just enough to cover one typical radiator, making it an expensive solution if you want to do your entire house.

Even so, Warmroom says that it can reduce heat loss by up to 60%. And tests carried out by the University of Sheffield saw the temperature of the wall behind a radiator drop from 45°C to just 25°C. Unlike more permanent radiator reflectors, Warmroom's product could make sense for renters, who can easily take them on to a new property.

Key specs – Sheets in pack: Six; Average radiators covered: Three; Size: 20 x 50cm; Thickness: 0.6mm