These shocking images show just how much energy the nation is losing – through inadequate roof insulation, poorly performing glazing and outdated window frames.
Office blocks, new build homes and high street shops in the UK were targeted with a thermal imaging camera to examine how much heat was leaking out.
A repeat offender for letting out energy was found to be office blocks, where open staircases, large glazed doors and fire escapes allow heat to escape and are notoriously colder areas of a building.
The imagery was commissioned by Pilkington United Kingdom Limited, a world leader in the manufacture of glass and glazing solutions for homes and commercial properties.
The study highlights how many buildings do not have suitable window installations. Pilkington UK Brand & Marketing Communications Manager, Julia Berkin said: “It’s interesting to compare the different types of buildings and shocking to see how easily energy is being lost.
“Over the course of a day or a week, losing heat energy through a door, window or roof might not make much of a difference.
“But over years or decades, those little bits of heat leaking out will add up to have a huge impact on your energy bills.”
The images show a scale to the right of the thermal images which indicates heat-loss.
The white areas of the pictures are the hottest on the scale, showing where the most heat is leaking from the home.
As the image fades to orange and then dark blue this highlights the coolest areas, where less heat is escaping.
Time and again, residential front doors glow up bright white in the images, showing they are a huge source of energy-drain for their occupants.
And older houses, such as this thatched house find themselves losing masses of heat through at the gable ends where they meet the roof.
The variety of images were shot in and around Coventry to show the different building types in the average city scape.
And the thermal scan of the Coventry Telegraph’s offices shows the majority of heat leaking from its large wooden door.
Julia added: “It can be a real style choice to use old-fashioned décor like a thatched roof or big wooden door.
“But these images show that they’re not always the best in terms of insulation or keeping heat in.
“That said, some of the more modern houses we’ve seen images of also don’t perform brilliantly in terms of heat retention.”
The images were commissioned by Pilkington UK as part of their ongoing effort to ensure homeowners are aware of the ways they can reduce their energy usage by paying closer attention to the ways their homes are built.