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By Tim Hess Have you wondered where heat escapes from in your home? Climate change and rising energy bills make it more important to reduce usage of gas or other fuels. Have you considered having a thermal imaging survey? Your first impression would be that a thermal imaging survey will help to find areas of heat loss and tell you where to put your effort to add insulation and how to make you’re your home more comfortable. You are right up to a point. Thermal imaging surveys are part of the process of finding out how to save energy but it is only one step in the process of finding out what you can do to improve your home and make it more comfortable. No home is the same. They all have different levels of insulation, in windows, doors, walls and floors and that’s even if you live in a street of similar houses. Homes come in all types, bungalows, stone cottages, semi detached, terrace, modern construction etc.. A thermal imaging survey tells you the temperature of the wall and the heat being emitted from it. For those who remember their physics, it provides a reading of the heat emitted as infra red.
The truth is that a thermal imaging survey can’t tell you how much heat is being lost from your building. To work out how much heat is being lost using a model is a complex calculation. The simplest way of working out how much heat is lost from your house is to look at your energy bills. The next best way to do it is to carry out a SAP heat loss calculation (Standard Assessment Procedure) by a Retrofit Assessor.  The chart above shows how your house might compare relative to other houses in UKs housing stock. Look at your heating bill, work out your floor area and see how your house compares.
A thermal imaging survey, won’t tell you how much heat your loosing, however it will tell you which parts of your house is losing more heat than others. At Upper Don Community Energy we have been delivering high quality thermal imaging surveys for over 2 years and our volunteers deliver reports for as little as £5 (usual cost in the market is £100 to £200). Additionally, our volunteers are trained in retrofitting and will provide information to help you decide how to solve the problems we find in your home. Typical recommendations have been to improve pipe lagging under floors, replace windows, address areas where wall insulation is missing. A thermal imaging survey is a simple way to look at where heat being lost from your home. The results from our thermal imaging surveys describe how to interpret the images, giving an understanding what this means in terms of where heat is being lost and how you can improve your building's insulation.
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By Catherine Cotteril Back in the early ‘naughties’ solar power crept into the consciousness of ordinary householders. We knew that the sun was the main provider of the earth’s energy and now we would be able to harness it directly to power our homes. Gradually the blue rash of PV panels began to cover the roofs of early adopters, first one roof, then a neighbours, and before we knew it a cluster would be glinting from several houses on a street or estate. We heard talk of 45p per unit from a government keen to encourage us to harness this ‘free’ energy source. The number of companies delivering and installing panels increased exponentially and that’s where my journey began. One enterprising company held a ‘seminar’ in the local village hall to demonstrate all the positives of having PV installed on your roof. As time passed more and more people latched on, but at the same time the government’s offer for the Feed in Tariff (FIT) began decreasing. So, I jumped on after the seminar; with a company who seemed to be reliable and honest – they have since ceased to trade but that’s not unusual or worrying. My house was in a suitable position and my roof was good. They estimated that I would have paid for my twelve panels after 10 years and they were spot on. I was eligible for a 21p FIT and that has rolled in – index linked – every 3 months for the past 12 years. It will continue for another 13. I had a recent health check last year and the panels and inverter are working well so all is good! I investigated fitting a battery, but until my inverter begins to fail or the batteries become MUCH cheaper, or my electricity usage during the evening rockets – eg if I was to buy an ev; it’s not financially worth it for me. I make sure that high energy jobs, such as washing and drying (if I have to) happen during the day, but apart from that the panels sit there and I forget about them – apart from when it snows, but that’s a whole other story! The numbers: I have 3kW capacity from 12 panels. They probably generate between 3200 and 3900kWh over a year. I have been billed for aprox 1200 kWh from July 23 to July 24.  By Cathering Cotterill Do you remember the news headlines and shock surrounding the energy price hikes planned for the winter of 2022/23? We were introduced to terms such as ‘fuel poverty’ and ‘heating or eating’. The winter looked bleak for so many families, especially those living in properties where insulation had not been a priority and good practice had been neglected. Local councils rushed to find ways to create support and limited resources were gathered to provide advice and warm spaces. Our group were contacted by Stocksbridge Town Council and asked if we could help in anyway. We considered what would be the easiest way to help people keep their homes warmer instead of simply turning up the thermostat. Our ideas involved making thick curtains and draught excluders to block draughts from external doors, giving away foil insulation for the back of radiators and tape to stick over the gaps in windows. We could also lag any exposed hot water pipes and replace old light bulbs for new LED ones
In September 2022 funding applications began in earnest and since then we have been generously sponsored by The Bridge Shop Stocksbridge, The National Lottery Community Fund, Northern Powergrid, South Yorkshire Community Foundation and Sheffield City Council. In the interests of economy, we wondered if we could adapt existing curtains or make them from donated fabrics. We were very lucky to buy a large quantity of fabric form The Barnsley Hospice shop and had pre-used curtains delivered, now we just needed someone who could sew……  The WI were great and sent volunteers to our now regular sewing workshops. We measured, cut, sewed and stuffed aided by tea and Pete’s delicious cake and a stock of curtains began to build up. Other stock was ordered and we awaited our first clients.
the number of clients has not been as high as we’d first thought, but we go on trying to increase awareness of our service. We have also added new eligibility criteria to try to ‘catch’ more people. We now include people with cardiovascular conditions, respiratory disease, limited mobility and immunosuppression. You may know someone who would benefit from the Community Warming project, if so please let us know.  Making Our Homes Warmer, Greener, and More Affordable: A Review of the Enhanced Retrofit Fabric Improvement Training Programme By Martin Highett As energy bills continue to rise and the urgency to tackle climate change intensifies, many of us in the Upper Don community are looking for ways to make our homes more energy-efficient. This is where the concept of "retrofit" comes in. Retrofit refers to the process of upgrading existing buildings to improve their energy performance. This can involve a range of measures, from better insulation and airtightness to more efficient windows and doors.
Two philosophies that are gaining traction in the retrofit world are Purehaus and Passivhaus. Purehaus focuses on achieving significant energy savings through a holistic approach to building fabric improvements, while Passivhaus takes it a step further, aiming for buildings that require minimal heating or cooling for year-round comfort. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in the Enhanced Retrofit Fabric Improvement Training Programme (ERFIT), a fantastic initiative offered by the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) in partnership with Pure Haus and the Passivhaus Trust. This three-day course provided a comprehensive exploration of retrofit principles, from understanding different insulation options to tackling thermal bridges and ensuring proper ventilation. Perhaps the most engaging aspect of the program was the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in the retrofitting field. These experts shared practical knowledge about various retrofitting techniques and materials, allowing me to envision how these strategies could be implemented in my own homes. The course was incredibly insightful for homeowners like myself who are keen on improving their dwellings and those interested in contributing to the wider energy-efficiency movement within the Upper Don community. Here's how the ERFIT programme proved valuable on both personal and community-oriented levels: Personal Benefits:
The Upper Don Community Energy (UDCE) is a fantastic resource for those interested in making their homes more energy-efficient. The UDCE offers energy audits, advice on renewable energy options, and can connect residents with local contractors specialising in retrofitting work. Together, by utilizing resources like the UDCE and programs like ERFIT, we can empower ourselves to make our homes more comfortable, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly. This will not only benefit our wallets but also contribute to building a more sustainable Upper Don community for the future. |
