Insulating behind a radiator

LAST UPDATED: 6th January 2023 by The Editorial Team

Applying insulating behind a radiator

Summary: Step by step guide and video showing how to insulate your radiators, place insulation behind radiators and reduce heat loss.

Contents

How to insulate behind a radiator

Radiators that are fixed to an outside wall will lose up to 25% of the heat they produce if not insulated. The heat, energy and essentially money wasted due to this loss can be avoided quite easily. Few people take measures to prevent the heat waste as it is little known amongst homeowners. A simple, cheap radiator insulator can help to reduce this deficit.

Applying radiator foil

  • The type of insulation you will need is a foil faced expanded polystyrene lining. The insulation needs to be positioned on the wall directly behind the radiator. The nature of the insulation will mean that the escaping heat is reflected back into the room.
  • Applying the insulation does not require the radiator to be removed from the wall; however, installing it will be made easier if done during the re-decorating process. The radiator will need to be turned off before you start work.
  • Firstly take measurements of all the radiators you want to insulate, and then purchase the required amount of foil lining.
  • Cut each amount relative to the size of your radiator. Cut a piece slightly smaller than that of the radiator so it cannot be seen protruding from the sides. Do not forget to cut out slots to allow for the wall brackets.
  • Now you can fix the foil lining onto the wall. It is recommended that you use fungicidal wallpaper paste; however double-sided tape can be used also. Make sure you smooth it in position using a baton of some kind.
  • If you have used an adhesive such as wallpaper paste to fix the insulation to the wall, then you should allow the agent to fully dry before turning the radiator back on.

Tools needed

  • Tape measure
  • Scissors

Materials needed

  • Insulation foil or kitchen foil
  • Fungicidal wallpaper paste or double-sided tape

Applying radiator foil video

Summary: DIY video showing you how to insulate behind a radiator.

Insulating the wall behind a radiator can prevent you from losing 25% of the heat the radiator produces. If your radiator is fixed to an external wall then heat is wasted, which means you are essentially wasting money. This can easily be prevented by installing radiator insulation.

Author

The Editorial Team

The Editorial Team at lets-do-diy.com are a team of experts led by Mark Wilson. We have been creating DIY projects, articles, costs guides and product reviews since 2008. For more info see our about page.