12 FUN DIY PROJECTS FOR THE CHIC GREEN GEEK

Radiator lining. Wall-mounted radiators have a design flaw – they radiate heat in all directions, one being directly into the wall. And with the big wide world on the other side of it, there’s no way you’re going to appreciably warm that one up. The result is a huge amount of lost heat energy – up to 70% in some cases.

The answer is to put something in the way. There are various hi-tech solutions, such as this radiator booster, but there’s a quick and cheap way to do it yourself, which is to line the wall with tin foil, the most reflective side facing the radiator. The heat will be bounced back into the room and your heating bill will plummet. I’m sure you can think of an artful, tasteful way to do it.

Mike Sowden

Mike Sowden is a freelance writer based in the north of England, obsessed with travel, storytelling and terrifyingly strong coffee. He has written for online & offline publications including Mashable, Matador Network and the San Francisco Chronicle, and his work has been linked to by Lonely Planet, World Hum and Lifehacker. If all the world is a stage, he keeps tripping over scenery & getting tangled in the curtain - but he's just fine with that.