Keep warm this winter – and save money too
Is your house cold in winter? Are there unexplained draughts or cold spots? Did you know you can use a thermal imaging camera to locate these and identify their causes?
By making an image showing the relative temperature of your house, walls, windows and roof, you can see which bits are warmer (outside) or colder (inside) than they ought to be. This can reveal problems with insulation, draughts, damp and more. This technique is useful both in older houses and for finding potential defects in new-builds.
Some problems are easy to fix yourself, like draught-proofing. Other defects, such as faulty insulation, may need local professional help. By fixing the issues highlighted by the thermal imaging camera, you can significantly improve your home comfort, energy bills and carbon emissions.
Members of Royston Environmental Group can either borrow our Thermal Imaging Camera (kindly sponsored by Johnson Matthey) or one from Cambridge Carbon Footprint (cambridgecarbonfootprint.org). Alternatively, if it’s all a bit too technical for you, we are happy to come to your place and survey your house for you, explaining as we go. Membership is free, so what have you got to lose?
For anyone who is vulnerable or on a low income, Green Doctor (www.groundwork.org.uk/greendoctor) is a free scheme run by Groundwork East to help anyone particularly struggling to pay their energy bills. And locals can talk to Green Heat Co-op (greenheatcoop.co.uk) for advice and support on home energy efficiency, heat pumps, and solar PV. They have a fantastic free guide to Royston home energy upgrades on their website and available at the Royston Library.
We meet for Royston Environmental Drinks at 7.30pm on the fourth Wednesday monthly at The Old Bull Inn, with speakers on different themes from across the environmental spectrum.
