I’m a home engineer – five radiator tricks that could cut your energy bills now

CHILLIER weather is coming, but if you're worried about how much your heating will cost, there are radiator tricks to cut energy bills.

Millions of households saw their energy bills rise on October 1, after the government's energy price guarantee came into force.

It means energy bills have been fixed at £2,500 a year for the typical household for two years, up from £1,971.

Although the guarantee means bills are around £1,000 less than what they were previously expected to rise to this winter, many will still be worried about how they'll afford the extra cost.

Putting the heating on is one of the biggest drains on your energy bill, but a number of radiator tricks could help keep costs under control, British Gas engineer Sunny Solanky said.

His tips could help save you hundreds of pounds from fitting foil behind your radiator to fitting thermostatic radiator valves.

1. Fit foil panels

Fitting radiator foil - or tin foil - behind your radiator will save you around £25 a year on your bills, Sunny said.

Instead of your radiator blowing hot air at the wall, if you put the foil behind the radiator, it will reflect it.

This means that you won't that it won't be wasting energy - and adding money to your bill.

"This trick works very well where you have radiators that sit on external walls and in properties with solid walls," Sunny said.

Foil panels can be found at most DIY stores or online and are relatively cheap - or you can use ordinary kitchen foil.

Simply put sellotape on the corner of the foil and pop it behind your radiator.

2. Bleed your radiators

If you don't bleed your radiators, it could stop them from running properly, Sunny said.

There could be air trapped inside your radiator, creating cold spots - and it could be driving up your bills.

"The air pockets prevent the heated water circulating so remember to check your radiators regularly for cold patches and, if there are any, bleed them," he said.

Letting out trapped air is a quick and simple task.

Firstly, you need to turn your heating on to make sure the system is working properly - then check the radiators are fully heated before doing anything else.

Then, you need to see which radiators need bleeding.

To do this, check whether there are parts of the radiator which have cool spots - particularly at the top.

This means that there could be air trapped inside, stopping the radiator from working well.

Then you need to switch off your heating before doing anything else - otherwise you might burn yourself or soak the floor.

You'll need a radiator key - available at DIY shops for £1 - to attach to the radiator valve, which is located at the top of the radiator.

Turn the radiator key slowly anti-clockwise and hold a cloth underneath to catch any water.

If you hear a hissing sound, it means the trapped air is escaping - once this stops, close the valve to stop water from coming out.

3. Don't heat ALL your rooms

Heating up all the rooms in your house is a waste of energy.

You'll save money by just heating up the rooms you need.

Savvy saver Scott Dixon said he saves £683 a year just by heating up one room in his home.

"It’s important not to spend money heating spare rooms or other rooms not in use during the winter," Sunny said.

"So if you know a room isn’t going to be used then make sure you turn the radiator off and close the door to stop cold air circulating through the rest of the house."

4. Reposition your furniture

Furniture placed up against your radiators will block hot air from circulating around the room properly.

That will make your home feel colder - so you'll be more likely to crank up the thermostat, or leave your heating running for longer.

Watch out for your sofa in particular, which is a big bulky piece that is more likely to soak up the heat.

5. Install thermostatic radiator valves

By attaching a thermostatic valve to your radiator, you can limit or turn off the flow of gas into the radiator while the central heating is on.

This will allow you to only heat the rooms you want.

You can set different temperatures for each room too.

"They are very easy to install and have temperature settings – usually from 1-5 – which allows you to keep rooms you don’t use very often at an energy-saving low temperature," Sunny said.

Valves can be picked up for less than £4 - and it could slash £75 a year off your bills.

Households will still get the £400 rebate on bills this winter - here's what you need to know.

While millions of households are in line to get a £150 discount off their energy bills between December and March 2023.