Most of the homes in Clanfield were built before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, technology has improved at an outstanding pace since then, we carry smart phones in our pocket with more computing power than Apollo 11. Thermal imaging is a type of photography which visualises heat unseen by the human eye. Equipment options range from expensive high resolution cameras to using small adapters to a smart phone, you can see heat, the hard part is understanding the results which is why I attended a short course run by The Low Carbon Hub to introduce the basics. An IR camera actually measures the intensity of infrared radiation being emitted by a surface, what you see is the smallest temperature differences, this highlights “thermal bridges”, where heat is being lost from a building, it can be as simple as a poorly fitted window, a blown glazing unit or more complicated such as a newer extension or poor distribution of cavity wall insulation. Surveys are quick, results instant and all without disturbance to the building.
The Thermal Imaging Survey aims is to help raise awareness about insulation and how to improve the energy efficiency of homes. This could result in: