This clever radiator hack to stop wasting heat as energy prices soar costs nothing

A genius radiator trick involving tin foil and tape will help you to stop wasting heat as living costs continue to rise and costs next to nothing.

Following the steep increase in energy costs that is expected to impact many this year, experts have shared their tips on how to save those extra pennies around the house.

While most people wish to save money on their energy bills (opens in new tab), the increase is unavoidable due to a record spike in global gas prices (opens in new tab) over the last six months, with wholesale prices quadrupling in a year.

Given that various  gas providers have gone bust (opens in new tab), suppliers are under extreme pressure to tackle the rising cost of gas on their own. The energy price cap will rise to £1,971 on April 1, 2022, according to energy regulator Ofgem.

For customers on their supplier's default tariff, this could mean an extra £693 in annual energy payments. Thankfully, the price cap is the maximum amount an energy company can charge a client on their default tariff for one unit of energy.

But it turns out that relying on a few cheap and simple hacks could save you stacks of cash when it comes to heating your home.

If you put large items in front of your radiators, including sofas and cupboards, they can block the heat from filling your room, wasting a lot of energy and forcing you to turn on your heating for longer to feel warm.

And if you've got tin foil and tape in your kitchen drawers, they're all you need for an instant and free way to ensure you're making the most of the heat you're paying for your radiators to pump out.

Taping a panel of tin foil behind your radiators means the heat will be reflected back and pumped around the room, rather than heat being directed at the wall.

And on't forget to bleed your radiators on a regular basis! It improves their efficiency and removes any cold patches.

Of course, most homeowners are upset when they receive a large bill and some may consider moving energy suppliers (opens in new tab) to get the best deals, but Martin Lewis has warned that there is "no market cure" and advised anyone considering switching to stay put.

It also turns out that merely changing how you use your kettle can save you hundreds of pounds (opens in new tab) per year in energy costs. Instead of boiling your kettle every time you want a cup of tea, experts recommend filling it to the top and just using it once a day, before pouring the water into a thermos to stay hot.