The CHEESE

Project CIC

Thermal Imaging Surveys

Our internal thermal-imaging surveys enable you to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home, so you save money on your bills and reduce your climate impact.

The Process

  • Book suitable time/day (see ‘book a survey’ below, for more information)
  • Our surveyor will come at the prearranged time.
  • A large blower door is fitted to an external door and run continuously to reduce the pressure inside the building, causing cold air to be drawn in though any gaps.
  • Each room is surveyed with you, the householder. You are included in the process.
  • Any anomalies (cold areas) are discussed and possible causes and remedies also suggested.
  • Our thermal imaging camera identifies cold spots, draughts and thermal faults in the fabric of the building, showing as Black & Blue on the images. All images and commentary are recorded.
  • Full discussion of the surveyors findings is carried out with you, whilst recording is being downloaded.
  • During downloading, we complete a survey with you including a review of your bills/energy usage. You will need to have them available in advance. All areas of the survey are discussed and suggested remedial actions you can take to improve the cold areas.
  • You have a recording of the survey to retain for future use, for yourselves or share with a contractor if you need to get external help.

Please note – Our suggestions are purely for guidance; we can not offer this as professional advice. You must always consult an expert to determine the best way forward.

Our survey season

We can perform surveys when it is colder outside by circa 8 to 10°C. This is the difference between the warm inside temperature of the property and the colder temperature outside. So, our surveys in the South begin in autumn and continue through to Spring. Further North our survey season is longer.

How did our Thermal Imaging journey begin?

Our unique survey process was developed after studying methods, used in the UK and USA, of thermal imaging and pressure testing; including those of Ian Mawditt of Four Walls Consultants and Philip Haile of Transition Bath. Subsequently we worked with Brian Harper of Malvern, who had been developing thermal Imaging since the 1970s. We now use a unique bespoke Heatview® camera and software developed by our technical director Jeremy Birch. Our training for Heatview® surveyors has also been specifically developed, based on 6 years experience and over 800 surveys.

Ongoing Research

Because we are continuously developing the CHEESE Project and its approach, we will ask you to complete a short questionnaire after the survey to obtain feedback and to learn how effective the survey was for you. We will follow up again after a month and after a year to see if your energy use has changed!

Follow ups after the survey

ONE MONTH AFTER THE SURVEY

Approximately one month after the survey we will ask you to feedback on the actions you have taken (or plan to take) as a result of the survey. We would also like to receive any thoughts or comments you have on the survey. The form we provide should be filled in by you without our prompting, otherwise a surveyor will contact you to obtain the necessary details.

ONE YEAR AFTER THE SURVEY

We will contact you one year after the survey by telephone or email to find out how you are getting on. We would like to know:

  • Your actual (not estimated) energy use since the survey. This is to compare with the figures we recorded on the day of the survey. We would like you to calculate the total kilowatt hours of electricity and gas you have used that year, from your bills, as you did before the survey.
  • What actions over the year you have taken to reduce energy use.
  • We would also like to know how much money you have saved as a consequence of saving energy, from your bills.
  • Any other comments that you might have.

Book a survey now

Please use our booking system to organise your survey. You will be directed to our booking platform. You will be able to choose a booking slot (subject to a surveyor’s availability) and then make your payment via Stripe Card Services.

VOUCHERS** If you have a voucher from Retrofit West, this should be obtained FIRST from their website. Next step; email your confirmation email and voucher to surveys@cheeseproject.co.uk. One of the team will call you and book your survey.