Update April 2021: We have now ended this service for summer, but register your interest for a slot this winter & we will get in touch once we start taking bookings again.
With the Easter holidays just around the corner, birds chirping and gardeners ramping up their preparations for the sewing season, we are reminded that Spring has begun.
I think its fair to say, that most of us are glad to see the back of the winter, although the warmer weather does mean that we need to get a move on with our thermal imaging surveys before time runs out for this season.
Why is time running out?
Thermal imaging cameras pick up where heat loss occurs within your home, and to do this effectively, the outside needs to be much colder than the inside. A difference of about 8-10 degrees celsius (or 46-50 degrees farenheight) is ideal. Once the weather outside starts to rise above 12 degrees C, this temperature difference isnt as practical, meaning your thermal images will come out less accurate.
There's also the aspect of "solar gain" which is when the sun's rays actually heat up your building. Solar gain is what makes your conservatory so cosy in the early spring, and swealtering hot in the middle of the summer. When a home has had the effects of solar gain, the temperature of the building fabric (walls, rooves and floors) increases, but this isnt because the walls are well insulated - infact, its the opposite. This can make for a vary confusing thermal imaging report, as it becomes harder to differentiate when the building fabric is keeping heat in (provided by your heating system), or letting heat in (from the sun). A well insulated property means that heat is both kept in and out - regulating the temperature inside the house. As our environment begins to get warmer in the summer, and colder in the winter, due to climate change, the concept of solar gain and thermal efficiency becomes a lot more impactful.
What does the survey include?
Our team are trained retrofit coordinators and assessors, namely, Tristan and David. They'll be 'hot on the heels' of all your insulation, drafty door, and gaps in the floorboards problems as they guide you around your home through our interractive survey.
We take a look at each room within your home, using our thermal imaging camera to identify where there are striking differences in temperature, and address what these issues are likely to be caused by.
You'll be directly connected to Tristan over the phone, but you'll also be able to see live what has been found on the camera through a handheld tablet. This means asking questions, getting feedback, and all the little tips that you can only recieve through a conversation with an expert. We have a really big focus on getting you familiar with, and engaged in, the energy efficiency of your home, so don't expect to sit back and relax!
In addition to this, you'll recieve a full report a few days after your survey is complete, with photos of what problem areas have been identified, and the top recommendations made by Tristan and David. Check out an example below.
We'll also send you a copy of the video on a USB stick, incase you decide to keep it amongst your family memoirs and re-watch in 20 years time in your (we hope!) highly thermal efficient home.
What makes our survey special?
At the heart of all our work, is social imact - giving back to our community.
We've been trained by the award winning C.H.E.E.S.E Project to conduct thermal imaging surveys, and they recieve a donation from us on each booking we get.
The Cold Homes Energy Efficiency Survey Experts (C.H.E.E.S.E.) Project is a Bristol-based not-for-profit CIC that aims to reduce domestic energy losses, at low cost: their surveys are free to people in poor housing conditions and in fuel poverty. The C.H.E.E.S.E Project team have trained community energy groups across the country just like us, and their aim is to give homeowners like you the information you need to make low-cost impactful remedies to save money, improve your comfort and wellbeing, and reduce your energy consumption and carbon footprint. Read more about their work here.
In addition to this, any profits made from our thermal imaging surveys, go back into Selce (South East London Community Energy Co-op)'s carbon saving and fuel poverty alleviation work. Over the last year and a half, we've managed to extend our energy advice service throughout the whole year (when we usually only run during the winter) due to the huge number of people that have been struggling with their energy bills during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its taken a huge effort, and we've grown from a team of just 5 people last March, to 10 staff members this month, and that's not taking into account our wonderful volunteers. If you'd like to find out more about our fuel poverty alleviation work, please visit the donation page on our website here.
If you would like more information about our surveys, or other ways to green your home, please get in touch - just email futurefithomes@selce.org.uk.
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