Do radiator covers block a lot of heat?

[Juicer54321]

I want to hide our old radiator. Ideally I would swap it for a traditional one but to save costs I have considered a radiator cover. Do they block a lot of heat in your experience?

Yes. You would have to run the heating on a higher water temperature to get the same output

Thanks. Our house is already freezing so maybe need to rethink.

yes they do.
silver foil behind them

Just add a second radiator and cover them both? If your house is freezing then look at draught proofing and insulation too

I have a glass cover that just sits on top, if the weather is really bad I can just lift and place in hall.

Our plumber says the first thing they learn at plumber school is not to put a cover on a radiator.

You might not be looking at as many £££ as you think to swap them out - we’ve just bought a few for £120 each.

Actually, you could get radiator covers and then modify them to have a suitable fan at the bottom. Then r they would actually be more effective than the original passive radiator!

Thanks all. Think I will get a quote for swapping initially.