FAQs

Many of our customers use Retrofit West vouchers towards the cost of a survey, but our booking system is unable to identify this third-party voucher and its code. this means we can’t apply the discounted value automatically. Voucher bookings should be made via our office with a phone call and are entered manually.

No, you can pay full price for a survey using a link on this website. As a social enterprise we strive to keep our prices as low as possible. However, if you have a voucher, you get 2/3rds off the cost of your survey up to £250(as at March 2024.

Pricing is dependent on the amount of time it takes to survey the home and we pay our surveyors accordingly. A typical 3-bed home can take 2.5hrs whereas a 14-roomed property can take as long as 4-5 hrs.

No. Our surveys are internal, using pressure-reduction, and every room and area of the home is surveyed, including the inside of cupboards. However, we also do a thorough visual survey of the outside of the house, pipework etc. as this informs the interpretation of the indoor survey.

Yes. Our surveyors provide you with a tablet screen so you can see what they see on the thermal camera as they move through each room of your home. This allows you to ask questions as you move through the home and understand each area in detail. If possible, it is best for all adult residents to be present

First we fit a blower door.  This is a frame with a cloth with a large fan in it. This draws air through the property and reduces the air pressure to mimic a winter wind and to ensure we find those cold spots and draughts.  We survey all heated rooms and all areas within the rooms, i.e. doors, walls, windows, floorboards, etc.  You will have a tablet screen so you can follow the survey as it happens.  The survey is then downloaded to a USB memory stick together with all your questions and the surveyor’s answers.  Thermal Imaging Surveys | THE CHEESE PROJECT CIC

Yes. We recommend preheating for 24hrs to ensure the fabric of the building and the air temperature is a stable 8 to 10C. warmer inside. Turn heating off 30mins before the surveyor arrives. Walls and floors can take a long time (many hours) to heat up from cold. If you don’t leave the heat on for long enough, the temperature difference in the fabric may be too small and we may miss important details. We can’t deliver a survey to our usual standards if you don’t warm the fabric as we recommend.

The bigger the temperature difference between inside and outside, the better the results you will get from our survey. If the temperature difference is smaller than 8 degrees C. we may miss important thermal details.

We can’t foresee this far in advance.  You can check the temperature via your local TV weather forecast or via the Met Office.

Once the outside temperature gets to 13C. or above we may have to rebook your survey or ask you to heat your home to a higher temperature.

No. We record our survey as we go room to room and you will get a copy of the survey along with the surveyor’s recommendations and commentary, downloaded on a USB stick, at the end of the survey. This is for you to keep and to refer back to when you need it. The video of the survey contains far more detailed information than a written report can. It also contains digital information sheets on tips for remedial action. If you need the survey as evidence to show to a landlord, we will provide a free extra USB stick.

Not usually. It takes as long as 4 times the length of the survey to write a report and this would put up the price. We find that our customers prefer an audio-visual survey report downloaded to a USB which is easy to store and refer to as and when required. In special circumstances, as with a commercial building, we can produce a written report but at a substantial additional cost.

It is very important that the manager of the maintenance of the building attends on the survey day. They need to see the images on the tablet screen as the survey is done.

The CHEESE Project CIC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company with charitable and social objectives, based on and in communities. We consider it to be important to be independent of any outfit that carries out retrofitting commercially. You can trust our independent findings.

No. Our surveys give you the knowledge and understanding of how your home is losing heat and suggestions to fix this. However, if you have done some draughtproofing or retrofitting you may want to mention this to your EPC assessor to see whether it does improve your rating.

Yes. We have a comprehensive training course to CPD standard, and surveyors are CPD-accredited. Most of our surveyors return year after year and are highly experienced. We also carry out DBS checks.

We regularly carry out surveys in the same streets and we encourage it. To coordinate this just drop us an email and let us know the postcode/s and we can support you with this.

Yes. We need a temperature difference of 8C. minimum. When it’s cold outside, the property can be heated internally and this enables the correct temperature difference, so we can capture vivid images of draughts, cold spots etc. When it’s warmer, unless a property has good air conditioning to lower the internal temperature during warmer weather, we won’t get the necessary temperature differences and the thermal images will not be clear enough.

Not from the CHEESE Project. We don’t recommend doing your own survey as you may not be able to interpret the images you see and understand the probable causes and potential ways to fix any issues.

No. We have to be independent of commercial businesses. We give you the information about your home and offer suggestions and recommendations of what to consider to remedy your issue/s. You can then engage a handyman or contractor of your choice.

We cover the whole of the County of Bristol, some postcodes within South Glos and Keynsham BS31 Check your postcode here: Postcodes we cover

Please see our cancellation policy. We require a minimum of 72 hours notice to cancel and offer a refund. Please see our Survey Cancellation Policy

Please note that cancellations of a survey with a voucher may make you liable to a larger payment as we have to cover our costs.

Yes. If cold air can come in during the colder weather, then so can the warmer air during warmer months.

Are there free surveys always available? We work with partners in the community and apply for grants to provide these for people who are hard up. One of our aims is to help people in ‘fuel poverty’. Availability varies, so it is best to ask early in the survey season (from September).

If you are receiving benefits, family support, etc. we will consider your application favourably.

Thermal imaging surveys with pressure reduction can pinpoint specific leaks, cold spots, etc. offering a comprehensive assessment, and are usually the starting point when trying to understand how you are losing heat/energy. Airtightness testing is a valuable tool to evaluate your home’s existing performance, too, but not all tests include thermal imaging. Commercial airtightness tests are now being required under building regulations Part L for PAS2035 on new-builds and larger extensions. They will usually cost substantially more than a Heatview® survey, and may not be so useful for planning your retrofit priorities.

We are always keen to recruit volunteers who support our aims of warmer homes and a cooler planet. They can help with publicity stalls at events, surveying larger properties, etc. Please apply to info@cheeseproject.co.uk

Details are on our website. Training is free and we do not require qualifications other than a good knowledge of English and computer use.

Anyone who supports the aims of The C.H.E.E.S.E. Project CIC can become a member, whether an organisation or an individual.   You will be local to the Bristol area and interested in helping with our continued improvement and helping raise awareness of thermal surveys at a community level and city-wide. 

Membership