A recent BBC news report states that more than two-thirds of UK homes are failing to meet energy efficiency targets which means that more than 12 million homes fall below the C grade on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).
Thermal imaging of your home is a fast and effective way to check your energy efficiency as areas of poor insulation, thermal bridging, and heat loss are easily pinpointed. A drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera in the hands of a qualified thermographer and a flight undertaken under the correct conditions can provide you with a wealth of information that can help you to reduce your energy bills and save money over the long term. If you are selling your home, then a visual image of your home’s thermal efficiency can be a valuable tool to persuade your buyers to go ahead.
Aerial Thermal Surveys
The ease of deploying a UAV or drone fitted with a thermal camera versus the cost and inconvenience of scaffolding or a cherry picker means that thermal roof surveys also become both simple and cost-effective – whatever the size of your property. Poorly insulated areas can quickly be identified with targeted maintenance than being carried out to make sure your ‘home’s hat’ is retaining the maximum amount of heat for you to enjoy during the colder months.
Drone Media Imaging can arrange for a thermal survey to be carried out in your home with just a few simple, non-invasive flights. We are happy to advise you in detail the conditions required to be able to create an accurate picture of your home’s heating efficiency.
As a guide…
- There needs to be a 10 °c difference between the internal and external temperatures. For this reason, we recommend surveys be carried out during the winter months when the outside weather is cooler and your heating is working at full capacity – this will naturally create the required temperature difference. If you are looking to gain a thermal picture of a building that doesn’t have functioning central heating, you can employ temporary space heaters for a period to create the same effect.
- Thermal surveys should be carried out when the surfaces are dry so evaporating moisture doesn’t affect the exterior temperature and therefore the resulting thermal image.
- Winds should be low to avoid altering surface temperatures and to enable safe drone flight.
- Surveys take place during the evenings to make sure that the effect of the sun’s rays has had time to dissipate. Thermal images capture reflected heat and so exterior surfaces need to be free of solar radiation to avoid any interference with the finished image.
Drone Media Imaging are qualified thermographers with state of the art camera and drone equipment. If you’d like to minimise your heating bills by looking at the integrity of your insulation and identifying areas for improvement, then just get in touch with Drone Media Imaging and we are happy to help.
