Detached brick-built house near York, North Yorkshire

• Built around 1992
• High heating costs
• Minimal insulation

The owners of this 26-year-old detached brick-built house contacted Retrofit Projects as they knew that there was a problem with cold draughts and cold areas in the property, especially in the kitchen. But they could not work out why the house was only 26 years old and it should have been insulated to a good standard.  It also had older type timber framed double-glazing.

Why was a thermal imaging survey so useful in this case?

We were able to carry out a thermal imaging survey that clearly demonstrated where the heat was escaping, and the cold in the form of draughts was getting into the house.

• We found that external cavity walls were not insulated
• There were missing sections of loft insulation at the edge of the ceilings
• The existing old timber window frames were not A-rated or energy efficient
• The side wall between the utility room and garage was not properly insulated at the time of construction
• Walls that the customer assumed were insulated were not