Salisbury Councillor recommends thermal imaging survey

Salisbury EcoHub Alliance volunteers carried out the first of its surveys at the home of Cllr Paul Sample, who represents the St Edmund's ward.  

His house was surveyed from top to bottom with pictures taken outside the building where it was possible to identify several places where heat was being lost and walls with cold patches were identified. 

Cllr Sample has had his home checked for 'cold spots' (Image: Salisbury EcoHub Alliance)

Cllr Sample said: "Catherine and I have lived in the same Victorian house in Queen's Road for well over 20 years. Some of our rooms are warm throughout the year, but some are difficult to keep warm at the best of times.

"I wanted to get a clearer picture of which rooms were cold and where we needed to do more to reduce heat loss and insulate them.

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The survey confirmed insulation was needed in the hallway and work needs to be done on a separate roof space which was not insulated when the rest of the roof was replaced 20 years previously. 

Cllr Sample added: "It will cost hardly anything to improve the insulation here but it will save us money in the long run – and improve the comfort of our lovely home."

Salisbury Ecohub Alliance invested in the thermal camera in 2023 to help local people understand where heat is escaping from their homes and what they can do to stop it happening. Volunteers have carried out four surveys already. 

The camera is easy to operate with a large screen and identifies areas where heat is being lost. 

Read more: Thermal imaging camera will identify cold spots

Caroline Christie 35, who lives in Hamilton Road was the second customer. 

She said: "I was delighted to finally track down a thermal camera in my local area. Our house was built in the early 1900s, so it has a long way to go in terms of insulation. I wondered if our wall cavity insulation was still doing its job.

"We had the second-ever survey by Brig and Evelyn (Salisbury EcoHub Alliance). When they came over we weren't sure what to expect, but the camera is fairly straightforward to use and you can see the results instantly. It confirmed a few suspicions we had about old external doors that need replacing and we have a few cold spots where the walls meet the ceilings.

"We're going to look into what we can do about that – we've heard coving backed with polystyrene might be a potential solution. But overall we were surprised with how efficient our house is."

For more information on thermal imaging, email: salisburyecohub@gmail.com or talk to volunteers at the EcoHub stall in Guildhall Square on Saturday mornings.