A heating expert has urged pensioners to use crisp packets to reduce their energy bills as millions are set to lose out on their £300 Winter Fuel Allowance over the coming months.
Mark McShane, heating expert at Boiler Cover UK, urges people to use the ‘simple yet effective’ trick to increase your radiator’s efficiency.
He told the Express: ‘By placing a reflective material, such as an empty crisp packet, behind your radiators, you can bounce the heat back into your room instead of letting it escape through the walls. It’s an easy, cost-effective way to make the most of your heating.’
The technique is a straightforward one, and involves neatly trimming an empty crisp packet and fastening it to the wall behind the radiator with double-sided tape. The crisp packet’s shiny surface functions as a thermal reflector and casts warmth back into the living space, offering extra cosiness without excess energy expenditure.
The ‘foil trick’ has a cost-effective alternative that utilises empty packets from home, offering additional savings.
Moreover, another handy tip includes utilising the oven door, Mr McShane said: ‘Leaving your oven door open after cooking allows the residual heat to warm your kitchen, and using bubble wrap on windows can serve as an insulator, reducing heat loss.’
The decision to test Winter Fuel payments was one of the first decisions made by Labour after taking office, and will see the number of pensioners eligible for the payment drop from 11.4 million to only 1.5 million.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the decision to slash the payment was necessary to fill a ‘financial black hole’ left by the Tories, but has faced sharp criticism over the move.
Following the announcement, money saving expert Martin Lewis took to Twitter to criticise the move, saying the pensioners eligible for the payment were ‘too narrow’.
He said that over 800,000 people were eligible to claim Pension Credit but did not, so would also miss out on the Winter Fuel Payment.
A statement from Mr Lewis read: The targeting of Winter Fuel Payments is too narrow with the winter we have coming.
Pensioners were already due to get less as this will be the first time since winter 2022 they haven’t got the up to £300 extra winter fuel cost of living top-up.
The Energy Price Cap is likely to rise 10% this October and stay high across the winter, leaving most energy bills nearly double those pre-crisis, at levels unaffordable for millions.
Many pensioners eke out the £100 to £300 Winter Fuel Payments to allow them to keep some heating on through the cold months.
While there’s an argument for ending its universality due to tight national finances, it’s being squeezed to too narrow a group – just those on benefits and Pension Credit.
Yet again, those just above the thresholds will be hardest hit.’
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