Bathford Energy Group (BEG) has recently completed their write-up of their first year of thermal imaging. Their project was run in conjunction with Transition Bath. During the course of the winter they surveyed 15 homes, identifying many common issues to both old and new homes.
Identification of common issues
The common sources of heat loss they identified included:
- Draughts around poorly fitting doors and windows
- Missing loft insulation
- Heat loss through uninsulated garage walls
- Thin, poorly insulated panelling on porches and doors
- Heat loss from single glazed windows, sash window frames and older double glazing
- Un-lagged pipes under floorboards
They have provided a comprehensive write-up of these common issues along with suggestions how to fix the problems here. Some of the images from the report are provided in the slideshow above.
Feedback on this year’s surveys
Given this is Transition Bath’s, Bathford Energy Group’s and Energy Efficient Widcombe’s (EEW) first full year running the project we all agreed to write-up our experiences of using the camera in order more effectively deliver next year. BEG’s write-up is available here; in summary:
- They found better operationally if 2 surveyors visited each home being surveyed at the same time, one to use the thermal imaging camera and another to provide advice on how to fix the problems
- The surveys were received positively – it would be interesting to follow up later this year to see if any of the home owners followed up on the recommendations
- Leafleting of homes didn’t work – an issue reflected by both TB and EEW
- Emailing previous contacts and word of mouth created most interest
- It took 45 minutes to do the survey but a number of further hours to produce a report for each home owner – something reflected by EEW and something which Transition Bath needs to resolve as it makes surveying time consuming and limits the number of homes which can be surveyed given a finite amount of surveyor time. Doing physical surveys is also more motivating than producing reports!
- A forum for pooling expertise for surveyors would be useful, to provide a central resource for answering and solving the more tricky problems
- Follow-up work for example providing home owners with draught-proofing material and training may increase take-up of recommendations?