SFHA Thermal Imaging Project To Be Rolled Out Across Scotland

Tuesday, 20 December 2011, 5:21 PM

On 19 December the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) announced that 30,000 housing association and co-operative homes will be scanned with thermal imaging software this winter, to identify and prioritise where insulation measures can best be deployed.

The thermal scanning project, which will be completed by February 2012, involves 60 social landlords. The move follows completion of a pilot scheme in 2010 which scanned 10,000 homes and was funded by the Scottish Government. This second phase of the project will be largely funded by SIG Energy Management, with housing associations contributing £5 per home toward the cost of the thermal imaging.

The images will identify which properties require insulation, including "hard to treat" homes. Funding to carry out work on the homes will come from UK Government CERT and CESP funds, as well as from housing associations.

Given the levels of fuel poverty experienced by social housing tenants, and that Scotland's existing housing stock contributes approximately one quarter of the country's carbon emissions, SFHA CEO Mary Taylor said it was "a no-brainer for the SFHA to take forward a project like this".

Once energy efficiency measures have been installed in homes, a second thermal image of properties will be taken between November 2012 and February 2013.

Collation and presentation of all the energy management information created from the project, including thermal imaging data, and pre-and post-insulation work, will be available through SFHA's Carbon Portal web-based reporting format.

Stewart Little, CEO of IRT Surveys Ltd, who are undertaking thermal imaging for the project said:
"By working with the Carbon Portal we can now publish these results online allowing the housing association to rank and rate each property, giving priority to those which are of most concern. We are looking forward to the feedback and hope that this will be the start of even greater things in the future."

For further information see the related press release