Technical Focus

USING DATA TO DRIVE THE DECARBONISATION OF SOCIAL HOUSING

It is no secret that there is significant work to be done to address decarbonisation in the UK housing sector. Stewart Little, CEO of IRT Surveys, explains how thermal imaging, paired with energy-saving calculator technology, can help property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders make smarter retrofit decisions to smooth the journey to net zero.

While some progress is being made in the social housing sector, 15 million owner-occupied and 4.44 million privately-rented homes will require decarbonisation over the next 28 years if the UK is to meet its 2050 net-zero target. Making these homes energy efficient is not only a monumental task from a practical perspective, but, at a price tag of £104bn by 2050, it is also financially significant.

If property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders want to ensure these improvements are achieved quickly and cost-efficiently, they will need to make smart retrofit decisions.

Data-driven decision making

To facilitate smart retrofit decision making, industry professionals need to gather data to help identify the energyefficiency and emissions issues present in the existing housing stock.

Using Building Information Modelling (BIM) for building envelope thermal performance analysis and energyefficiency evaluation allows them to identify properties’ emissions and energy-efficiency issues, predict the costs of addressing these issues, and calculate their return on investment.

When combined with thermal imaging, sensor data and other associated data, BIM can have an even greater impact as the resulting data offers far more useful and accurate visual insights into the conditions of homes.

CO2 USE BY PROPERTY CO2 FOOTPRINT

Thermal imaging is most commonly used to assess housing stock and make informed decisions about potential retrofitting by quantifying the images and detecting energy deficiencies. By producing accurate data, it can help industry professionals make smart decisions based on facts.

This is because an infrared thermal imaging survey offers an accurate insight into the condition of the building fabric, providing a detailed understanding into a wide range of energyefficiency issues, including empty or half-filled wall cavities, defective insulation, draughts, porous brickwork, rendering and waterproofing issues and more, many of which could go undetected using other forms of survey.

When coupled with advanced energy-saving calculators and funding databases, it can help property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders achieve CO2 reductions, realise financial savings, and improve living conditions for occupants, by enabling them to take a more strategic approach to their retrofit pathway.

Benefits of thermal imaging

Compared to traditional surveying methods, thermal imaging offers a host of benefits:

It is quick – problems can rapidly be identified and remedial action discussed

It is reliable – thermal images cannot lie

It is accurate – by pinpointing where the problem is, only targeted repairs and maintenance are required

It is non-invasive and non-destructive – there is no drilling or hammering and no damage is done to the building’s fabric

It is safe – there is no need for scaffolding or climbing

It is cost effective and convenient – with prices starting at £20 per elevation and with around 300 images able to be completed, per camera, per night, it allows a comprehensive survey process to be carried out in a single visit, reducing cost, time and inconvenience for the occupier. Merging with modern technology

For larger landlords and associations working on at-scale projects, further benefits can be achieved by harnessing new technology, data and cloud-based applications. Modern platforms can merge, augment and analyse data from a wide range of properties to make decisions on which homes are best suited for a retrofit and to create a project roadmap.

By conducting thermal imaging, together with inclusive 10-archetype internal surveys – including EPCs, airtightness, gSkin U-value thermocouples and retrofit assessment and coordination – properties can be assessed against a range of criteria such as structural integrity, condition and orientation, whether the homes have external wall insulation, contain asbestos or if they can take PV structurally.

If required, this can also be aligned with investment criteria so that projects can fit in with investment programmes and enable suitable funding opportunities to be identified to minimise costs.

These modern platforms essentially enable landlords and associations to access all the data in one place, making it far easier to prioritise and plan retrofitting projects. For example, the data gathered provides them with the critical insights they need to filter large numbers of homes so that projects can be created to deal with the properties most in need or for undertaking the rollout of specific improvements, such as cavity wall insulation, where required.

Considering the magnitude of overhauling the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock, and the fact that it is an extremely complex and highly-expensive undertaking, property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders should use all the tools at their disposal to make smart retrofit decisions. By using quantified thermal imaging coupled with advanced energysaving calculators during decision making, they will be able to achieve reductions in carbon emissions, make financial savings and improve occupants’ standards of living.  www.irtsurveys.co.uk