Homeowners may soon get a nasty surprise as councils plan to send “energy police” into suburbs to test their heat insulation.
The reds and oranges show heat escaping from this poorly insulated home

At least 25 councils are planning to use heat detector vans to take thermal images of homes, in a bid to encourage residents to become more energy efficient.

The vans creep along at 10mph, unbeknown to those indoors, and survey a thousand homes an hour.

The result is a thermo image of each house, pinpointing the heat escaping from leaky doors, windows, walls and lofts.
 
Insulation can make a big difference

There are concerns that residents’ privacy may be infringed by the scheme, which is operated by the company Heatseekers.

But their director Keith Hewitson has told Sky News Online these claims are unfounded.

He said: “It is purely and simply a heat seeking camera.

“It can’t penetrate brick work and it can’t penetrate glass.”

The images work by highlighting cool areas of a house in blues and greens and the warmer temperatures in whites, reds, yellows and oranges.

Once the houses are photographed, image are given to homeowners to show them where energy is being wasted.
 
A well insulated home

Mr Hewitson said homeowners should pay attention, as for every £3 they pay to warm their homes, up to £1 could be being wasted.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband welcomes the new approach, as he believes the ultimate solution lies in going door to door.

He said: “It’s been experimented on by a few councils and what we want to see is… can this be taken wider and more nationwide?

“By going street to street, door to door, people can actually get help.”

He added that often, people are not aware of how inefficient their homes are, or what help is available to them.

The Government’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Target programme can provide up to 50% of the cost of installing insulation, which is usually around £1,000.

:: Call the Act On CO2 advice line on 0800 512 012 for free energy saving advice.