If you have an older building with low thermal insulation, a home heat loss survey can help you identify problem areas that need to be addressed. Whether you’re buying an old property or renovating your existing home or commercial building, this type of survey is an invaluable tool for improving energy efficiency and saving money on heating bills.

A heat loss survey (also known as a thermal imaging survey) uses thermal imaging technology to capture and display variations in surface temperatures on surfaces. This allows trained professionals to pinpoint areas where heat is escaping from a building – from draughty spots, to insulation voids and underperforming heating systems. It also identifies the key areas that are responsible for hot or cold air exchange and can save you money by pinpointing the best place to start making improvements.

Identifying Energy Loss: The Importance of a Home Heat Loss Survey

The Stamford Brook field trial compared designed fabric efficiencies with measured fabric efficiencies in new dwellings and found that significant gaps between expected and actual energy performance exist. The differences were largely due to occupants’ behaviour and to the impact of different materials, including various forms of cavity party walls, which are not typically well insulated.

Cambridge Architectural Research, Leeds Beckett University, and Bridgewater Surveyors carried out detailed measurements of party wall heat loss for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). This work highlighted high-than-expected losses from a range of sources, including thermal bridging, and excessive air movement within the walls.