Identify areas of heat loss in your home and community buildings using our easy-to-use thermal imaging cameras.

Please note, Our project for Nov 2023 to April 2024 is now full.

What is the Thermal Imaging Project?

The project enables Community Groups and Parish/Town Councils to borrow thermal imaging cameras and appropriate equipment in order to carry out community heat loss surveys for households in their community.

Information collected by Community Groups can then be used to either signpost people to schemes such as Warm Homes Suffolk, encourage people to undertake the easier DIY fixes, or help create a community bulk purchasing programme for energy savings materials such as loft insulation, draft excluders or double-glazing film.

Our easy-to-use cameras can be used to scan homes and community buildings to identify potential areas where excessive heat loss is occurring.   As the images are easiest to interpret when it’s at least 10°C warmer inside than out, this is mainly a winter activity, and we will be running this project from November 2023 to April 2024.

A thermal image of a building

Why are we doing this?

Heating your home has multiple benefits for you, your health and for Suffolk. With energy prices increasing significantly, more of us are having to choose between heating our homes and eating. For vulnerable people, living in a cold and damp home can be harmful for their health. Health concerns linked to the cold conditions range from higher blood pressure and more colds, to breathing problems and pneumonia.

We want to help Communities to identify ways to make homes and community buildings more energy efficient, to help you keep warm for longer, whilst also helping your pocket, and help Suffolk create the Greenest County by reducing carbon.

Homes account for 22% of the UK carbon emissions and there needs to be an urgent application of energy efficiency improvements if we are going to hit the carbon reduction targets necessary to reduce the impact of climate change.

Click the button below to watch our training videos. We lend cameras only to people trained in how to use them and to interpret their images.

Frequently asked questions:

Yes – please watch the training videos and download the apps which will help you.

Yes! There are several videos for you to watch and we will be looking to run webinars. Each camera is hosted by a Thermal Imaging Champion who will be happy to give you instructions when you collect the camera (so please allow for a handover when arranging to collect).

The cameras work best when there it is at least 10°C warmer inside than out so is primarily a cold weather tool.

To be compatible with FLIR ONE, a device must meet the minimum requirements

  • Android users – version 9.0.0 or newer
  • iOS users – version 13 or newer

We have 6 iOS and 6 Android cameras which are housed across six locations for the pilot in Suffolk.

The camera takes 40 mins to charge and will last around 1 hr.  Please note your phone battery will also be reduced whilst in use. We are therefore providing portable battery chargers with 2 usb points.

You are, or the person who has signed the agreement form on behalf of the community. We understand that accidents happen and just ask that you take good care of the camera when it is in use.

There are lots of things you can do!  Please visit next steps.

You can get help from Warm Homes Suffolk if the gross household income (from all sources) of everyone in the property is less than £36,000. They particularly want to hear from people who live in homes with a low energy rating (band D, E, F or G).

Yes. Under government legislation, domestic private rented properties are required to meet a minimum energy efficiency standard before they can be rented to tenants. This is defined as an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of E or above.

There may be some measures you can undertake yourself (double glazing film, draughts excluders etc see next steps) but there is also help for landlords if the property has a low energy rating.  Info for Landlords.