Proposal that Peckham Power should do IR Thermography

In its simplest format, I feel Peckham Power should lobby the Council to buy pre-requisites (like camera, protimeter, boroscope etc) for us (approx cost about £10,000) so that we can carry out surveys at homes who are in receipt of Social Benefits (even Government buildings, hospitals, schools etc) to make sure no unnecessary energy losses (including dampness and condensation problems) are incurring. Naturally, a team should be employed through additional grants from the Council to visit these properties to carry out these surveys, prepare remedial plans and if necessary to carry them out as a sub-contractor.

We can elaborate on this but this is the crux of the matter.
Hal-Luke

Personally, I'm very excited about the possibilities of IR Thermography.  I love cameras (my dayjob is filmmaking) and I have a background in science which means that I have a sincere fondness for data.  I'd be very eager to get involved in an IR Thermography project (as long as I have the time).  It's also clear that post-occupancy / post-installation data gathering is vital to ensure that our buildings perform as well as they are supposed to and that the installation of insulation doesn't cause more problems than it fixes (e.g. allowing moisture to cross the cavity of cavity walls).

However, just to get the debate going, I'd like to play devil's advocate for a moment and throw a question into the mixer:

Is the IR Thermography project suitable for Peckham Power or should a separate company be setup to do IR Thermography?  The IR Thermography project doesn't appear to have much of a community focus and Peckham Power aims to be a community organisation.  But perhaps that doesn't matter?  Or perhaps there is a way for the thermography data to be presented to building owners in a way which starts a broader conversation with them about energy?

I really hope my comment doesn't sound like I'm trying to throw cold water onto the idea, I'm just eager to make sure we fully discuss this project idea before we take it to Southwark for their consideration.

Many thanks,

Jack

The IR camera could also be used as a training tool, e.g. in Peckham Power workshops and home visits.

It's also worth noting that Peckham Power would need to get its constitution together and form a formal legal structure and a bank account before we could start taking commissions from the council.  And I assume that IR thermography only produces useful conclusions when there's a substantial temperature difference between the inside of the properties and the outsides?  i.e. during cold weather when people have their heating on.

I think it'd be good to have the camera, but it'd also be good to know how this fits with a strategy to maximise efficiency and insulation in Peckham. There are lots of 'good' ideas in Peckham Power, but how do they connect and make a collective difference?

I also think it's highly unlikely that LBS will fund a camera - as they're making 5% cuts across the voluntary sector and making LBS staff redundant. If the group thinks (as seems to be suggested) that there is a business case (using the camera to check insulation etc), then perhaps the group could write a business case, see if there are any takers (at this cost I think you'd need to get more clients than LBS) and if the business case stands up, go to the social enterprise people and borrow the money.

In the meantime, have you thought about just hiring one?

In the US many utility companies run this service free of charge to customers and then advise about savings that can be made through insulation and other measures.  Obviously different set up in the US with many municipal power companies controlled by the local authority (aka. Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power -DWP).  As a first step in getting people to conserve energy IR Thermography is an excellent and very "community" focussed idea.  Providing every resident with a image will focus attention on conservation.  The next step, to get needed conservation measures taken up will be more complex.  If I remember correctly, from my time in the US, the use of IR Thermography had post cards made of every home in one large town and these were posted to each resident along with details of where to get advice about insulation etc.   One of the reasons a power company has IR cameras is to save money as it has an important role "to keep power equipment running safely, not interrupted, avoid further damages to the equipment and the most important is…maintain their customer satisfaction because in this case, the availability of electrical supply to customer is very critical. They can find a problem in their electrical equipments faster and can take immediately action to fix it before it getting worst."

"Infrared thermography program can also prevent your maintenance budget to increase because of unplanned shutdown. This situation is the most “worst scenario” that avoided in electrical utility company, because they have to spent more money to fix the broken equipments and additional broken equipment of course, and also the man power used to performs repair. The most important thing is they are losing the opportunity to supply constant power to their customers, that’s mean a lot of money. No matter what infrared camera that you used, it is important to have thermography inspection in your powerplant maintenance program, or whatever is your business. The cost of breakdown equipment is much much higher than prevent it from damage.And once again….customer satisfaction is the biggest impact from this program."

"Though most people do not think about it, infrared thermography is a great story for your public relations department. For example, many utility companies advertise to their clients that they use infrared services to enhance system reliability, thereby projecting a proactive stance and in return a positive public image. Likewise, infrared programs have been incorporated into company's ISO9000 plans as part of in-house safety awareness for electrical fires and other dangers associated with equipment failures. Here again, thermography is being used as a tool to project a proactive and safety concise image to the company's employees."

(Quotes taken from various website in US)

So, lots of reasons why a power company should have them.

Should LB of Southwark should fund IR Thermography?  Guess, that will depend on what cameras are used for.  As a community tool to highlight heat losses I can see it would be very useful if a project to map every home was implemented.  Would certainly show that they are serious about tackling climate change.  No good just doing it on municipal buildings where the carbon saving is minimal and just seems to be have been used as an excuse to move into plush new offices and sell off municipal assets. 

Since LB of Southwark is the largest home owner in Southwark it should be taking a lead.  Perhaps the IR Image could be built into "Home Seach" so that anyone bidding for a Council Tennacy could also see what they were taking on in terms of energy efficiency?

This is an image of a wet roof due to a roof leak.  Surely, the largest landlord in Southwark could find some very useful applications for IR Termography.  Might even go a long way towards giving everyone Decent Homes?

I am of course for Infra Red Thermography (IRT) because I have been trained to level 1 in this work and I have great faith in what difference IRT can do to building energy work.. . There are 3 levels and level 2 is the one where more specific thermography can be employed and level 3 is where one can teach it to others. Therefore level 1 is sufficient to do building work which we are interested in.

Just to understand fully what IRT can do, let me outline some basics:

1) IRT can do both hot and cold inspections, ie heating and cooling inspections as cooling a building is just as important for energy conservation; hence IRT can be used in both winter and summer,

2) IRT can be used for detecting extend of condensation, rising or penetrating damp, water leaks in solid or partition walls (including behind ceramic tiles) or floors, water ingress and egress problems, domestic electrical hotspots, central heating piping problems (blocked or air locked) etc.,

3) IRT can detect cavity wall insulation deficiencies as well as normal insulation problems as per Building Regulations Part L for continuity etc,

4) IRT can detect Vermin hide-outs !!!!!  as a bonus during normal surveys !!!

5) We can carry out external IRT surveys of whole streets but there are ideal times to do it, due to solar gain on buildings or when it is rainy and too windy. Internal IRT surveys can be done at any time as temperature difference requirement is not a very demanding requirement as these cameras are sensitive down to 1/10th of a degree celcius (C). But nonetheless, unless house is air tightness surveyed, few degrees C difference between the inner and outer temperatures is desirable.

In short IRT survey can do lot more than just energy work and this multi-benefit is what UK's largest social housing owner (Southwark) is in need of. The biggest benefit is to seek out deficiencies before they become expensive problems and the advantage is that it is non-invasive, non-destructive, extremely cost effective as well as totally silent,

Why don't we just hire a camera instead of buying one?  ..  probably the best reason is the cost of hire!. It could be anything from 200 to 600 per day depending on requirement.. A good camera nowadays can cost anything from 5 to 10,000 Pounds with all the desirable accessories (ie spare battery, different lens. software etc) and long term camera hire is simply not cost effective.

In addition to Council work, it could be used for private Corporate work for income stream to PeckhamPower, ie heating installaton surveys in winter and air conditioning installations in summer; for commercial and industrial buildings, electricity boards, supermarkets, hospitals, schools etc.,  In addition EPC and DEC certification companies can recommend us to users (and abusers) of energy!

If this is such a good business proposal then why are the individuals not getting into the 'proverbial water' ?? .. at least let me speak for myself.  There are individuals doing this type of work but not very many. I am a specialist Building Facilities Manager hence doing solely IRT work is not efficient way of spending my revenue earning time. I am therefore available for commercial IRT work but only as part of PeckhamPower initiative. This is a win-win for me, hence my interest. Having done unpaid charity work for the last 25 years, good intentioned initiatives are not always persued for altruistic reasons, but a win-win makes charity work much more effective, efficient and satisfying to be part of!  also, in some cases 'free' is not as appreciated as 'paid'

I am happy to answer any questions on this subject and willing to take the lead if needed!

Kind regards to all,

Hal-Luke Savas MBA FCIM MBIFM ICIOB aff.CIBSE

londonhs [at] aol [dot] com

Hi!

Firstly, please let me say a huge thanks to everyone who has responded to this discussion and let me welcome you all with open arms to the Peckham Power website!

I had a long chat with Anna (one of the two founding members of the organisation which become Peckham Power) last night and we talked quite a lot about IR Thermography.  The bottom line is that we both agree that IRT could be a really interesting project and it should be something that Peckham Power actively explores.  I'm very happy to help Hal-Luke in whatever way I can.  Both Anna and I really like the idea that an IRT camera could be both a revenue-earning project and it could also be used to help members of the community to get a more intuitive sense for where heat is lost from their property.  IRT cameras are fun to use.

One small concern is regarding the proposal that whole streets could be surveyed and the IRT images  posted to each property.  I'm a little bit concerned that some people might be offended by this (see the recent uproar over Google Streetview and some of the recent negative press coverage over aerial IR Thermography).  Perhaps homeowners could opt-in to such a survery (e.g. the street is leafletted a month before the survey is due to take place and property owners are asked if they'd like a free survey)?

Hal-Luke, your offer to take the lead is very much appreciated and I'd like to take you up on your offer if that's OK?  As you know, Peckham Power is still a young organisation which currently runs entirely on a voluntary basis so we don't have a huge quantity of resources to throw around.  In other words, it's kind of a case of "scratching your own itch"!  You are clearly extremely knowledgable about IRT and very motivated.  So, if you'd like to take the lead then I'll help in whatever way I can, time allowing (I work full-time as a filmmaker and my Peckham Power work has to be done in whatever free time I might have).

Hal-Luke, what do you think the first step should be?  Should I go ahead and request a meeting with the Southwark Energy Team (I'd like to think that Peckham Power has a good relationship with the Southwark Energy Team)?  What's your schedule looking like at the moment?  Also, please remind me: do you know roughly what proportion of cavity fills are incomplete (and hence would benefit from an IR survey)?  Also, do you have any feel for how large the potential market could be for running the sort of service that you are proposing?

Many thanks,

Jack

Hello,

Here's an update on the Infrared Thermography project.

Hal-Luke very kindly put together a brief proposal for Southwark to look at and I sent this proposal to Jessica Binks in Southwark's Energy Team (Peckham Power is in frequent commuication with Jessica; she is extremely helpful and generous with her time).

Here's Jessica's reply:

Hello Jack,

Unfortunately we would not be able to support such an initiative. We have to bid for internal funding for specifically identified capital projects inline with the council’s own priorities and we don’t have any funding available for groups for projects like this, whether operating on a voluntary basis or not.

We have also commissioned our own aerial thermography of the borough and if we were to commission a street level / building by building survey of our own stock, this would have to be done following the EU procurement regulations and advertised to contractors on the council’s approved list – we cannot just directly enter into an agreement with a single supplier.

I hope this won’t diminish Hal-Luke’s evident enthusiasm.

Kind regards
Jessica

and a follow-up from Jessica with some more details:

Hi Jack

Yes, you can post the reply but I should clarify that re. funding I am only able to comment from Sustainable Services position. The council does have funding available for community projects via Cleaner, Greener, Safer which I’m afraid I forgot to mention last night. Unfortunately though, looking at the page the applications for 09/10 has recently closed. You may be able to look at the criteria for a future application though. This is how the electricity meters project in East Dulwich has been funded.

I’d also like to mention that since last October we have been producing EPCs for all our own housing stock as properties are re-let, so as well as giving prospective tenants an idea of the energy efficiency of their home we have good energy data and recommendations to complement the information we have from other surveys and our existing asset database.

Regards
Jessica

(I should mention that Gordon did put in a Cleaner Greener Safter funding application on Peckham Power's behalf for the 09/10 funding round for a Smart Meter project.)

Perhaps we should put in a Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding application for the 2010/2011 funding round for the Infrared Thermography project?

Thats a wonderful post, Thanks for sharing.

Hi Jack,

My feeling on the issue of IR Thermography in Southwark is that once we know the legal structure of Peckham Power, we can then make a decision as to buy, or not, a camera ourselves (I can find funding for this may be?!) and register with Southwark Council as an approved commerical supplier of IR services, so that we can participate in forthcoming commercial tenders as Jessica mentioned above and turn this into a large fund raiser for Packham Power overall. I have no doubt that IR will prove it's worth in no time and this will be appreciated much at Council level.

Anyway, my enthusiasm is still very much alive but this has to be a commercial type operation (as per Jessica's message) as relying on grants and hand-outs per se is probably going to take so long that we will miss the boat! I recommend quicker action on the status of Peckham Power for us to come to a final conclusion on this issue.

This is my tuppence worth!

Best wishes

Hal-Luke

Infra Red Thermography (IRT) can also show where there is significant water damage, I repair <a href="http://property-drs.com/services.htm">water damage denver</a> and have seen the technology used on ceilings before the leaking occurs. So Infra Red Thermography (IRT) is a fantastic resource for energy conservation as well as detecting other issues like possible water damage.

Open up those draperies and shades in winter to let in the heat from the sunshine. If you're worried about fading the furniture - use a slipcover. Invest some money in a humidifier, or simmer some water on the stove to add moisture to your air. Gas systems require a check up every two years whereas oil-fired systems need yearly maintenance. One of the biggest drains on your budget can be power bills, and the biggest expense on power usage is heating your home or cooling your home, and you lose a fair amount through heat loss or cold loss. As your home heats or cools, the air inside will be drawn to the air outside, as cool air seeks warm air and vice versa in a process called Heat Transfer – temperature seeks equilibrium (this is physics 101 stuff) and thus, the best way to conserve heat or cold is insulation.  Keep windows well insulated, and also pay attention to attics and any and all vents, lest your bills send you running for payday loans.