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Thermal Imagery Case Studies

Kirklees

Kirklees Metropolitan Council - 12th September 2006

Bluesky, the aerial survey specialist, have produced a detailed 'hot spot' map of nearly every property in Kirklees. The infrared imagery shows the 'temperature' of individual buildings highlighting those with high heat loss. This information will be used by Kirklees Metropolitan Council to identify groups of properties with poor insulation for remedial action and also to meet government targets for increasing energy efficiency and energy conservation reporting.

Bluesky captured the thermal survey earlier this year using an airborne thermal infrared sensor, which is a modified version of the technology used by the military for night vision. The survey, which captured over 200 sqkm of the Kirklees urban landscape, which is located in the centre of Britain bordering the Pennines, was flown mid evening in order to capture the widest variations in temperature which can occur as a result of poor insulation of buildings.

Bluesky supplied the Council with a thermal photomap providing an instant snapshot of hot spots by colour coding temperature ranges. A property-level digital map was also created showing the heat loss from every individual building surveyed.

The Council commissioned the survey to help improve energy efficiency as required by the Home Energy Conservation Act (HECA). HECA responsibilities include an energy conservation report identifying measures to improve energy efficiency and to report on their progress. The thermal information will also support the council's pro-active work to tackle fuel poverty in the district enabling them to identify those residents most in need of energy efficiency measures. Kirklees Council are also working to achieve 'Warm Zone' status. Established in 2000 Warm Zones Ltd operate as a not for profit social enterprise to assist with the delivery of the government's fuel poverty eradication objective.

"Prior to taking delivery of this survey we simply did not have access to this level of information. The ability to identify properties at the desk top will enable us to be even more pro-active with our energy efficiency programmes." said Sally Kelling, Energy Efficiency Officer in the Environment Unit of Kirklees Metropolitan Council. She continued, "The imagery is also a valuable tool, supporting our education programme by bringing to life energy related issues for our residents."

Birmingham

Birmingham City Council - 27th October 2005

Bluesky has produced a thermal hot spot map of Birmingham to show heat loss from buildings. The aerial photo-mapping company undertook an aerial survey of the city using a special thermal infrared sensor and has now delivered a digital map of the thermal hot spots to Birmingham City Council. The raw data was processed so that it accurately matches the existing mapping of the area. This is allowing thermal information to be matched to streets and properties and overlay other sources of information within their geographical information system (GIS).

Bluesky captured the thermal survey earlier this year using an airborne thermal infrared sensor, which is a modified version of the technology used by the military for night vision. The survey was flown mid evening over the winter in order to capture the variations in temperature due to poor insulation of buildings. The raw survey data was then processed by Bluesky to create a map accurate digital dataset and transformed into a GIS compatible layer to be integrated with the Council's Ordnance Survey MasterMap data.

By integrating the temperature information with their mapping, Birmingham can match it to demographic data derived from the census including household income and the architectural style of each building. This will enable them to identify specific properties with poor thermal efficiency and effectively target these properties to reduce heat loss.

"For the first time we can accurately identify properties with poor thermal efficiency, allowing us to target our resources very effectively" Said Rashid Ikram, Strategy Officer for Birmingham City Council. "The GIS-ready thermal data supplied by Bluesky enables us to undertake this analysis at the desktop saving time and resources."