Overview
- Heating adviser Mark McShane of Boiler Cover UK urges households to tape rinsed crisp packets behind radiators to reflect heat and lower bills.
- University of Cambridge and Brunel University experts counter that the ultra-thin reflective layer provides minimal thermal benefit and that the plastic film can deform or release fumes when heated.
- Engineers warn that stuffing multiple packets could create a thermal bridge to the wall, increasing heat loss through conduction rather than reducing it.
- Coverage notes that purpose-made radiator reflector panels can yield modest savings on external-wall radiators, with kitchen foil cited as a cheaper if less effective substitute.
- Reports highlight that crisp packets are hard to recycle in household bins, though some retailer take-back schemes accept them, and they reiterate tested steps like draught-proofing, using thermostats and timers, and closing curtains and doors.