Why did you do this aerial thermal image
survey?
Home energy efficiency and Fuel Poverty are very serious issues
for Peterborough City Council. The aim of the thermal survey is to
raise residents' awareness of heat loss and insulation not only
because it is good for the environment and C02 emissions but also
because it will save our residents money! Additionally if a home is
not energy efficient it can increase fuel bills and can even cause
ill-health if individuals are unable to adequately heat their
home.
When did you do the aerial thermal image
survey?
A Leicestershire based company Blue Skies Ltd were commissioned
to undertake the survey. The flight was carried out in March 2009
during an evening which provided specific weather conditions
including clear skies, cold temperatures with no snow cover during
the week. These conditions provided the optimum chance of a
householder being home with the heating turned on.
What area of Peterborough did the flight
cover?
The flight covered the urban corridor of Peterborough from
Hampton to Glinton, incorporating the most densely populated area
in terms of housing. We are keen to work with the rural areas of
Peterborough and recommend the use of hand held thermal equipment
in this case, we would be happy to consider request for this on a
localized basis.
Why does my building have such a low heat loss
value?
The survey is a snap shot of how much heat a particular building
was losing at the time the survey was undertaken. It is
possible that there was no heating on at that particular time, or
you were away, or hopefully it is because the house is well
insulated.
What do I need to do if it seems like my insulation
isn't very good?
If able, look in your loft space and see how much insulation
there is between the rafters. Recommended insulation standards and
insulation thicknesses have increased in recent years and
insulation tends to compact with time, becoming less effective.
Loft insulation of up to 270mm (11 inches) is now recommended,
though this amount may not always be practical. It is also worth
considering how well insulated your walls and windows are, for more
information visit our heat loss
page.
I've installed insulation recently, why is my home
recording a high heat loss?
The aerial thermal image survey was completed on March 2009, if
you have installed insulation since then this will not be reflected
in the results.
I don't think my score is right - how come?
There will be certain number of false negatives that are
produced by eth survey, that is, buildings showing blue or (colder)
colours suggesting good levels of insulation, when in fact the
insulation is not good. This is most likely to occur where a
building is unoccupied or the occupiers are on holiday and there is
no heating on. There may also be false positives, where, for
example, a loft hatch has been left off and hot air has got into
the roof void and warmed it up.
I like my loft space for storage so I don't want to
insulate is there anything else I can do?
If you'd like to use your loft for living space or storage, then
you could look at insulating the roof of the property instead. This
is usually done by insulating between the roof rafters using rigid
insulation boards.
Why does my neighbour have a better score than me when I
know they don't have as much insulation?
The map is based upon the average heat recorded from the
building. Averages can be raised by hot spots such as chimneys,
flues, roof windows, or pockets of warm air.
You did not ask for my permission to undertake the work?
I am concerned about details of my house being available to
anyone.
No personal details about properties have been used to produce
the scale derived. The score is based purely upon the heat loss at
the time of the survey. In the same way that someone could walk
past a property and take a photo, the thermal map is simply an
aerial photo at one point in time. Peterborough City Council has
opted not to show street by street maps on the website but to show
the score and scale ratings of individual properties. Web searches
will be limited to 3 per day.
What about the CO2 emissions created by undertaken the
flight?
The environmental impact of the flight was considered and
Peterborough City Council felt the benefit outweighed the impact.
We are keen to compensate for the effects and have worked with
Bluesky to offset the CO2 involved in the flight. To do this the
exact linear flight distance for the flight was measured alongside
the aircraft speed and fuel burnt to derive a carbon tonnage value,
this will be directed to an offsetting project in Peterborough, for
which exact details are currently being confirmed.
What is PCC doing about its own buildings?
Peterborough City Council is committed to reducing the
environmental impact across our organisation. A key element of this
is to understand how energy can be used more effectively across the
council's estate. The aerial thermal study will be used as part of
this process to determine where energy saving initiatives can be
implemented. Supporting this work Peterborough City Council have
embarked upon the Carbon Trusts Local Authority Carbon Management
Programme, a scheme which supports Local Authority's through the
process of establishing baseline carbon emissions and producing an
action plan to deliver reductions.
As part of the programme Peterborough City Council have
committed to achieving a Carbon reduction of up to 35% of 2008/09
levels over the next five years.
For a much more detailed explanation of thermal imaging and the
equipment and techniques employed please visit the website our
aerial thermal imaging specialists Blue Sky.