The impact of thermal imaging on users' perception of energy consumption: The round hill project

In the UK, a significant proportion of energy consumed is associated with buildings, with the single highest sector being housing.  Due to this high proportion of energy consumption, it is important to focus upon household energy use in order to meet the national energy reduction targets.  Whilst schemes such as the Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) have been introduced to help homeowners identify how they can improve energy loss. There have been criticisms as to the effectiveness of such schemes especially the EPCs. To understand how further improvements could be made on energy consumption, a pilot study (10 households) was carried out using thermal imaging to highlight energy loss to homeowners and subsequently ascertain the impact it had on their perceptions as opposed to the EPCs alone.  The findings of this study were encouraging and showed that in the majority of cases, the use of thermal imaging alongside EPCs had a much greater impact on user perceptions.  This paper presents findings from a larger sample size (100 properties) conducted in the Round Hill residential area of Brighton, UK. The area has approximately 1000 homes (mainly developed in the 19th century) and the sample selected is representative of the overall household types of the community. Thermal imaging was conducted and presented to occupiers alongside questionnaires to identify user perception of energy use in their properties. Financial constraints were found to play a significant role in how householders perceived energy use. For example, tenants of multiple occupancy homes believed changes in their buildings were needed but also believed that it was the financial responsibility of the property owners. As part of community engagement, recommendations from the findings of this study were disseminated to the Round Hill community in order for residents to make useful improvements to their dwellings and energy consumption.