Every year, as the weather turns colder and the heating systems are switched on across the UK, we all become conscious of the cost of keeping warm and cosy over the season.

Putting on extra layers and tucking up under a blanket is one solution but it is also worth considering checking that your home’s insulation is in tip-top condition and you are not losing your heating investment to the skies.

In previous times, an insulation inspection would have been purely visual with suppositions being made regarding areas that were inaccessible (which in terms of wall and roof insulation could make up a sizeable proportion). However, a thermal inspection is now available of your home using state of the art cameras to reveal the secret flaws and fault that might be costing you money.

Why Insulation Fails

When your home was built, especially if it is reasonably modern, the insulation would have been considered during its design and executed during its construction. However, it is possible that areas were not completed as planned either due to error or poor construction standards.  Insulation could have become damaged over time or through repair/extension processes or older insulation types can also degrade naturally over time making them less effective in preventing heat loss.  Being able to identify problem areas with a thermal image survey means that you can take targeted action to remedy the situation and improve the integrity of your home’s insulation.  A relatively small investment can make a big difference to your heating bills over both the short and long term.

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 of 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.