The Leaky Homes project will expand across Surrey from September 2023, buying more infra-red cameras and training community groups in all the county's districts and boroughs1. The project is run by Zero Carbon Guildford and Energy Action Redhill & Reigate, and was funded by UK Power Networks1.
The existing programme bought several thermal imaging cameras and trained 36 Surrey residents to carry out home energy surveys during the cost of living crisis1. Nearly 200 residents in Guildford, Reigate, Banstead and Mole Valley used the cameras to see where their homes were losing energy, and were then sent a written report with recommendations and signposting to financial support for energy efficiency improvements1. Residents were also given remedial measures to stop draughts, including chimney pillows, draught excluders and sealant guns, handed out at schools, warm hubs and community events across Surrey1. Energy Action Redhill & Reigate delivered half the surveys1.
Ben McCallan of Zero Carbon Guildford said the funding had also helped the groups secure another funding bid:
"Most of all, this funding enabled us to gain the skills needed to be successful in another funding bid, which will significantly escalate energy assessments right across Surrey this winter."
The new programme will also include a summer component so that energy advice can be delivered all year round1. The announcement did not state how many cameras would be bought, how many community groups would be trained, or the value of the new funding1.
Why it matters for households
A thermal imaging survey shows where a home loses heat, which is the starting point for deciding what to fix. The measures handed out in the first phase, such as chimney pillows, draught excluders and sealant guns, address draughts rather than the fabric of the building. Larger improvements, such as insulation and glazing, are the ones that change how much energy a home needs to stay warm, and the written reports pointed residents towards financial support for that work1.
For households in the areas covered so far, the practical effect was a free assessment of where energy was escaping and a report setting out what could be done about it1. The expansion matters because it extends that to residents in Surrey districts and boroughs that have not yet been covered, and because advice will continue through the summer rather than stopping after winter1. Energy independence at home rests on the same principle the cameras demonstrate: reducing the heat a property loses reduces what has to be bought to replace it.
The project does not itself install insulation or glazing, and no details of the new funding, the number of surveys planned or eligibility have been reported1. For rented homes, the separate Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards set the legal baseline that landlords must meet.
What happens next
The boost is planned for September 2023, when more cameras will be purchased and community groups trained across all Surrey districts and boroughs1. The programme will then run a summer component so energy advice is available all year round1. No start date beyond September, no target number of households and no closing date have been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- Leaky homes revealed by Energy Champions, ukpowernetworks.co.uk