Insulating tanks, pipes and radiators

If you’re trying to save money on your heating bills and reduce your energy consumption, radiator reflector panels are an attractive low-cost option.

Fixed behind your radiators, they reflect heat from the radiator back into the room, instead of letting the heat out through an external wall. They can produce the most benefit when installed on uninsulated solid walls.

Remember, you only need to put reflector panels behind radiators on external walls.

Lagging water tanks reduces the amount of heat lost through the tank. As a result, you spend less money heating water up and hot water stays hotter for longer.

A hot water cylinder jacket costs about £18 in Great Britain (GB) and £30 in Northern Ireland. Fitting it is a straightforward job if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the easiest ways to save energy and money. 

If you already have a jacket fitted around your tank, check its thickness: it should be at least 80mm thick. If it isn’t, consider buying a new one.

Even topping up the insulation can help you save money. Adding an 80mm British Standard jacket to a tank with 25mm foam built-in can save 40 a year in GB (£45 a year in NI). That’s more than enough to cover the cost of the jacket. 

Our homes have a combination of indoor and outdoor pipes that transfer water in, out and around our house.  

Most homes have: 

• Downpipes 
• wastewater pipes 
• sewage pipes 

You’ll have at least one outdoor pipe that connects you to the main water supply. If you have a boiler, you’ll likely have a condensate waste pipe. This pipe transfers a small amount of wastewater from your boiler to the drains outside.  

During winter your pipes, especially those outdoors, will be exposed to cold temperatures. If the temperature goes below zero, your pipes are at risk of freezing. This can make them crack or burst, resulting in no water or heating in your home and expensive repair bills.  

To reduce this risk, insulate your pipes to help stop them from freezing. 

You may also have pipes in uninsulated areas like your loft, basement or garage. These are important to insulate too, as those could also be exposed to low temperatures.  

Your other exposed indoor pipes transfer hot water around your home, so pipe insulation helps reduce heat loss from the pipes. This can save you around £6 (£6 in NI) a year on your energy bills.* 

* Savings based on fuel prices as of January 2024 for a typical gas heated (oil heated for NI) three-bedroom semi-detached house.