The short answer (checked 28 October 2026)
- The Energy Saving Trust puts the saving at £18 a year in Great Britain and £20 in Northern Ireland, and only for radiators on uninsulated outside walls. A radiator on an inside wall saves nothing.
- Cheapest foil per radiator on this page: BLOSTM 10m roll at £1.90 per metre of 60cm-tall radiator. Cheapest small pack: Haltons 5m at £2.00 a metre, with adhesive pads in the box.
- On the Energy Saving Trust figure, a whole 5m pack of the cheaper foils pays for itself in about seven months of heating.
- The audit finding: we read the first 20 unsponsored Amazon UK listings for radiator reflector panels. None says the saving depends on the radiator being on an outside wall, and three claim the panels cut bills by up to 90%.
Radiator reflector foil is one of the first things people buy when the heating goes back on. It is cheap and quick to fit, and every packet promises warmer rooms for less. The catch is that it only works behind some radiators, and the listings almost never tell you which ones.
This guide starts with the rule that decides whether foil is worth fitting at all. It then prices six foils and panels per metre of radiator, using prices read on Amazon UK on 28 October 2026.
Prices in this table come from Amazon and are refreshed at least once a day, with the date of the last update under the table. The cost-per-use and running-cost figures on this page use prices Look Into read on 28 October 2026, so they can differ from today's price.
As an Amazon Associate, Look Into earns from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of 28 October 2026 and are subject to change.
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 28 October 2026 · next check 23 December 2026 · how we picked
The saving only exists behind an outside wall
A radiator gives off heat from the back as well as the front. On an inside wall, the wall between two rooms, the heat that soaks into the plaster stays in your home. It warms the next room instead of this one, so a reflector has no bill to cut. On an outside wall, part of that heat leaks through the brick to the street. That is the only heat a reflector can win back.
The Energy Saving Trust's page on radiator reflector panels, last updated 6 October 2026 and read on 28 October 2026, says so plainly. Panels are most effective behind radiators on uninsulated external walls, and it is "not really worth" adding them to internal walls. It puts the saving at £18 a year in Great Britain and £20 in Northern Ireland, and the carbon saving at 60kg a year in Great Britain. It also says ordinary kitchen foil will not work, because it is hard to keep in place and has no insulating layer.
Two things follow. First, if your outside walls have cavity or solid-wall insulation, the saving shrinks, because less heat was escaping in the first place. Second, the £18 is a figure for a home's outside-wall radiators, not for each radiator. The Energy Saving Trust does not say how many radiators it assumes or what energy price it used, so treat every payback figure below as a rough guide rather than a promise.
What 20 listings say, and what they leave out
We read the first 20 unsponsored Amazon UK results for radiator reflector panels on 28 October 2026. We counted claims in the product title, the About this item bullets, the product description, the product overview and the brand content. We left out reviews, questions and images.
- 17 of 20 state a heat reflection percentage, between 90% and 98%.
- 3 of 20 claim the panels cut bills "by up to 90%".
- 1 of 20 mentions external walls at all, and only to say the foil reduces heat loss through them.
- 0 of 20 say the saving depends on the radiator being on an outside wall.
- 0 of 20 mention internal walls, insulated walls or solid walls.
A reflection percentage describes the foil's surface, not your bill. A foil can bounce back 97% of the radiant heat that reaches it and still save you nothing if the wall behind it is an inside wall. The "up to 90%" bill claims are of a different order from the Energy Saving Trust's £18 a year. None of the three listings gives a basis for the figure.
How we made this guide
We ranked by cost per metre of radiator, because that is what you actually cover. Most rolls are 60cm tall, which suits a standard single radiator, so one metre of roll covers one metre of radiator width. The cost per metre is the price we read on the product page on 28 October 2026, divided by the roll length. We opened every product page that day to check the size, the thickness, whether adhesive is included and that it was in stock.
The payback figure divides a whole pack's price by the Energy Saving Trust's £18 a year. Look Into has not handled these products. Every figure comes from the listing, the maker or the Energy Saving Trust, read on the date shown.
| Foil or panel | Size | Per metre of radiator | Whole pack pays back in |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLOSTM foil roll | 10m x 60cm, 2.4mm | £1.90 | 12.7 months |
| Haltons radiator foil | 5m x 60cm, 3.6mm | £2.00 | 6.7 months |
| CUQOO foil roll | 5m x 60cm | £2.20 | 7.3 months |
| BLOSTM wide roll | 10m x 1m, 2.4mm | £2.35 per square metre | 15.7 months |
| SuperFOIL Radpack | 5m x 60cm | £3.68 | 12.3 months |
| Eco single bubble sheet | 1.2m x 60cm | £7.32 | 5.9 months, one radiator only |
For comparison, the top unsponsored result for the search, a 5m x 60cm roll with more than 3,000 bought in the past month, worked out at £3.40 a metre on the same day. That is 70% more per metre than the Haltons roll of the same size.
The six we would buy
BLOSTM Foil Insulation Roll, 10m x 60cm
Price: check the live price on Amazon · £1.90 per metre of radiator on 28 October 2026 · 2.4mm
Ten metres at the standard 60cm height is enough for most homes' outside-wall radiators with some left over. It is the lowest cost per metre we found among foils from sellers with a stated thickness.
The catch: the listing says adhesive pads are not included, so add the cost of double-sided pads or tape. Ten metres is also more than you need if only one or two radiators sit on outside walls. In that case a 5m roll costs less overall.
Check price on Amazon →Haltons Radiator Foil Insulation, 5m x 60cm
Price: check the live price on Amazon · £2.00 per metre of radiator on 28 October 2026 · 3.6mm
The cheapest 5m roll we found, with 3M self-adhesive pads in the box. It is also the only listing of the 20 we read that mentions external walls. On the Energy Saving Trust figure, the whole pack pays back in under seven months.
The catch: the listing contradicts itself. The title says 5m, but one bullet says "15m x 60cm" and that it covers nine radiators. Nine radiators from 5m works only if each is about 55cm wide. Check the size on the order page before you buy.
Check price on Amazon →CUQOO Radiator Foil Reflector Roll, 5m x 60cm
Price: check the live price on Amazon · £2.20 per metre of radiator on 28 October 2026
More than 2,000 bought in the past month, adhesive sticky pads supplied, and only 20p a metre more than Haltons. Five metres covers three to five typical radiators, which is about right for a home with a front room and a bedroom or two on outside walls.
The catch: the listing states no thickness, so you cannot compare it with the 2.4mm and 3.6mm rolls here. Like every listing we read, it says nothing about inside walls.
Check price on Amazon →BLOSTM Foil Insulation Roll, 1m x 10m
Price: check the live price on Amazon · £2.35 per square metre on 28 October 2026 · 2.4mm
A metre-wide roll for radiators taller than 60cm, such as the tall double panels common in newer extensions. You can cover them in one piece instead of joining two strips.
The catch: on a standard 60cm radiator you would waste 40cm of every cut, so the narrower roll is better value. Adhesive pads are not included.
Check price on Amazon →SuperFOIL Radpack, 0.6m x 5m
Price: check the live price on Amazon · £3.68 per metre of radiator on 28 October 2026
From SuperFOIL, a brand that also sells multifoil building insulation, with adhesive pads included. This is for buyers who would rather have a known name than an unbranded roll.
The catch: it costs nearly twice as much per metre as the cheapest rolls here, and the listing gives no reason the brand would make the reflection itself any better.
Check price on Amazon →Eco-Friendly Radiator Reflector Panel, 0.6m x 1.2m bubble sheet
Price: check the live price on Amazon · £7.32 per metre on 28 October 2026
One pre-cut bubble foil sheet, with adhesive pads, big enough for a single radiator up to 1.2m wide. If a flat has exactly one radiator on an outside wall, this does the job with nothing left over to store.
The catch: it costs more than three times as much per metre as a roll. If you might do a second radiator later, a 5m roll is cheaper even with three metres left over.
Check price on Amazon →Fitting it so it works
- Do the outside-wall radiators only. Walk round the house and check which radiators sit on walls with the street or garden on the other side.
- Measure each radiator's width and height, add up the widths, and buy one roll that covers the total. Every roll here is cut to length.
- Turn the radiator off and let it cool first. The Energy Saving Trust's fitting steps say to switch off the heating, or turn the radiator down at its valve, before you start.
- Cut each piece slightly smaller than the radiator so it hides behind it, then slide it down the back and press it onto the wall. You do not need to take the radiator off. Follow the maker's instructions on which side faces the room.
- Check whether adhesive is included. Two of the six rolls here come without pads, so you will need double-sided tape.
- Renting? The Energy Saving Trust suggests clip-on panels, which come off again, and checking with your landlord first.
Questions people ask
Do radiator reflector panels actually work?
Behind radiators on uninsulated outside walls, yes. The Energy Saving Trust puts the saving at £18 a year in Great Britain. Behind radiators on inside walls they save nothing, because the heat they would reflect was staying in the house anyway.
Can I use kitchen foil instead?
No. The Energy Saving Trust says aluminium kitchen foil won't work, because it is hard to keep in place and has none of the insulating backing a purpose-made panel has. The cheapest proper roll here works out at £1.90 a metre.
Will a reflector cut my bill by 90%?
Three of the 20 listings we read claim it will, and none says how. The Energy Saving Trust's figure is £18 a year for the outside-wall radiators in a home. A 97% reflection figure describes the foil surface, not your bill.
Are thicker bubble panels better?
A foil-faced bubble layer adds a little insulation of its own, and the Energy Saving Trust notes that purpose-made panels have an insulating layer that kitchen foil lacks. No listing we read gives a measured figure for how much difference 2.4mm against 3.6mm makes, so we have not ranked on thickness. Measure the gap behind your radiator first, because a thick panel can be a tight fit.
Related reading
- Draught proofing ranked by payback this winter
- Best thermal curtains UK 2026: what they save, checked
- Best smart radiator valves UK 2026
- What the Winter Fuel Payment buys in heating at the October 2026 cap
Sources
- Energy Saving Trust, Radiator reflector panels explained, last updated 6 October 2026, read 28 October 2026. £18 a year in GB and £20 in NI on uninsulated external walls, not worth it on internal walls, kitchen foil won't work.
- Amazon.co.uk search results for "radiator reflector panels", first 20 unsponsored results, read 28 October 2026, plus each product page opened that day for size, thickness, adhesive and stock.
Look Into is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. That does not change which products we pick or what we say about them. The comparison table above pulls live prices from Amazon. The cost-per-metre figures use prices read on 28 October 2026, so they can differ from today's price.