We’re supporting community groups across Cumbria to offer free thermal imaging surveys to neighbours, friends and other residents in their area from late October through to the end of March.

Thermal imaging can identify cold spots in your home, such as draughts around windows and doors, missing and defective insulation, water ingress, damp, and cold bridges. It can indicate both quick fixes and areas that require professional advice, and support you on your journey to make your home warmer, cheaper to heat and lower your home’s carbon footprint.

The thermal imaging camera detects the heat emitted by objects and shows it in a colour-coded way – the colder areas are shown in blue and the warmer ones in red.

CAfS have trained volunteers in Alston; Ambleside; Greysouthen, Bridgefoot, Little Clifton and Eaglesfield; Keswick; Levens & Arnside and the Melbreak area to conduct the surveys, including getting sign up to a code of conduct for being in other people’s homes. We’ve also provided the cameras, which are high spec FLIR cameras which are calibrated to give accurate readings.

The window for conducting Thermal Imaging is late October through to end of March, before the weather warms up. Outside of this season, no bookings or surveys can be made.

Clicking on the button will take you to your email app to make it easy for you to contact your local group. If that doesn’t work for you, copy and paste the email address below the button.

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

To take advantage of a free thermal imaging survey in your area, please contact your local group directly to book your appointment. We anticipate that demand will be high, so don’t hesitate to book to guarantee your survey! Thermal imaging surveys are only possible when it’s cold outside, so will take place from late-October, throughout the winter.

After you’ve made contact, the surveyors will arrange a convenient time to do the survey, which will take about an hour. They will let you know if there is anything you need to do in advance – for instance ensuring that your heating is on, as the inside needs to be warmer than the outside for the survey. As the surveys are carried out inside your home, they also check whether there is anything they need to be aware of – for instance vulnerable residents or lively pets – before they visit you.

The volunteers will share the images with you, which will help identify areas of heat loss. You can then seek professional advice from CAfS about how to address these issues to improve the energy efficiency of your home.