An Innovative Approach Towards Enhancing Energy Conservation in Buildings via Public Engagement Using DIY Infrared Thermography Surveys

ContentslistsavailableatScienceDirect

Energy

and

Built

Environment

journalhomepage:http://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/energy-and-built-environment/

An

innovative

approach

towards

enhancing

energy

conservation

in

buildings

via

public

engagement

using

DIY

infrared

thermography

surveys

Allan

Hawas

_,

_Amin

_Al-Habaibeh

a Future Energy Center (FEC), School of Business Society and Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Systems, Mälardalen University, Sweden b Product Innovation Centre, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, NG1 4FQ, UK

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t

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c

l

e

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n

f

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b

s

t

r

a

c

t

EnergyconsumptioninurbanenvironmentintheEUaccountsforabout40%ofthetotalenergyconsumption,and themajorityofthisenergyisutilisedforheatingandairconditioningofbuildings.Hencetheprocessofinsulating andretrofittingofrelativelyoldbuildingsisessentialtoenhancethethermalperformanceandhencecontribute toenergyandcarbonemissionreduction.Thereisaneedtoenhancepeople’sengagementandeducationin relationtosuchissuestoinspireandencouragepositiveactionsandinvestmentfromthepublic.Thispaper presentsanapproachofcombininganoveltrainingprocessusingalow-costinfraredthermalcamerawithsmall scalebuildingmodeltopromoteDIY(Do-It-Yourself)infraredsurveyforthepublictoevaluatetheperformance oftheirownhomesinordertoidentifyanyissuesrelatedtoinsulationorairleaksfromthebuildingenvelopto encouragethemtotakecorrectiveactions.Theworkincludedtheengagementof50peopletosurveytheirown homestocapturethetechnicalfindingsaswellastheirpersonalreactionandfeedback.Theresultsshowthat88% ofparticipantshavefoundtheeducationalsessionhelpfultounderstandtheinfraredthermography;and92% haveconsideredtheinfraredcameratobeaneffectivetooltoindicatelocationofheatlosses.Additionally,90% ofparticipantstrustthatthethermalcamerahashelpedthemtoidentifyinsulationdefectsthatcauseheatlosses intheirhomes.Moreover,84%believethatthethermalimaginghasconvincedthemtothinkmoreseriously abouttheheatlossesoftheirhomesandwhattheycoulddotoimprovethat.Theexperimentalthermography surveyshaveshownthatmanyhouseshavelimitationsintermsofthermalinsulationwhichhavebeenidentified bytheparticipants.ThisDIYinteractionhasprovidedenhancedpublicengagementandenergyawarenessvia theuseofthetechnology.Thefinancialissuesarealsofoundtobecritical,asnoneoftheparticipantswould havedonethesurveyiftheyhadtopayforit.Hence,thispaperprovidesasolutionforhouseholdswithlimited budgets.

1. Introduction

Thereisaneedfortheimprovementofpublic’sawarenessand en-gagementinrelationtoenergyconsumptioninbuildingstowardsmore comfortableindoortemperature,energyconservation,reductionin car-bonemissionandimprovedsustainability. Thermalinsulationis one ofthemostimportantfactorsthatenhancestheenergyperformanceof buildings[1,2].Withimprovedinsulation,newandrenovatedbuildings willprovideanacceptablelevelofenergyconservation.Accordingtothe EuropeanCommission[1],in2018energyconsumptioninbuildingsin theEUaccountsforabout40%ofthetotalenergyconsumptionand 75%ofbuildingstockisenergyinefficientwith35%ofEU’sbuildings areover50yearsold.Ithasbeenfoundthat36%ofCO2emissionsin EUareproducedbybuildings.Fromtheaboveitisclearthatthe build-ingsectoristhelargestsingleconsumerwithhighpotentialofefficiency

∗_{Correspondingauthor.}

E-mail address: Amin.Al-Habaibeh@ntu.ac.uk(A.Al-Habaibeh).

improvements.TheEUDirective2018/844hadthegoalofreducing en-ergyconsumptionandcarbonemissionsby20%bytheyear2020[2]. Thedirectivealsoemphasisesthatallnewbuildingshavetobenearly zero-energybuildingsbythesameperiod.AlsotheEnergyUnionand theEnergyandClimatePolicyFrameworkfor2030establishambitious commitmentstoreducegreenhousegasemissionsfurtherbyatleast40 %by2030incomparisonwith1990levels[3].

However,manycountriesintheEUandaroundtheworldhavean oldstockofhousesthatwillstillneedimprovement.Toengagethe pub-licinthisprocess,theyneedtounderstandthecomfort,economicand environmentalbenefitsofinsulationandaddressinganyenergy ineffi-ciencyissueswithbuildingenvelop.Atthesametime,thehouseholder needstoidentifythenatureandthesizeoftherequiredimprovement beforeanydecisionsaretakeninthisrespect.

Oneof theactions whichtheUKgovernmentadoptedtoincrease publicenergyawarenessisthecreationofStandardAssessment

Proce-https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbenv.2020.09.008

Received8July2020;Receivedinrevisedform14September2020;Accepted27September2020 Availableonlinexxx

2666-1233/© 2020SouthwestJiaotongUniversity.PublishedbyElsevierB.V.ThisisanopenaccessarticleundertheCCBY-NC-NDlicense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

dure(SAP),whichworksasacalculationmethodologyfortheenergy performanceofallnewdwellingsinUK.ThefirsteditionofSAPwas publishedin1993andthepresentversionisSAP2012.RdSAP2012is theversion,whichiscreatedforexistingdwellings.Thecalculationis builtontheenergybalancein viewof arangeofaspectstopromote energyefficiency[4].AttheendofOctober2012anewgovernment policylaunchedintheUKbytheDepartmentofEnergyandClimate Change.ThispolicyisTheGreenDealHomeImprovementFund,which permittedloansforenergysavingmeasuresforhomesinEngland,Wales andScotland[5].AccordingtoaUKgovernmentreport,attheendof December2016[6],therewere27.7millionhomesintheUnited King-dom,19.1millionofwhichhavecavitywallsand8.5millionhavesolid walls,31%oftheformerhadnocavitywallinsulationand92%ofthe latterhadnosolidwallinsulationrespectively.Additionally,23.9 mil-lionhomeshadaloft,34%ofwhichwerewithoutloftinsulationofat least125mm.Hence,thereisstillsignificantpotentialforimprovement ofmanyhomestoreceiveinsulation,especiallyforthosethathavelofts andcavitywalls[6].Significantresearchhasbeendoneinexploringthe benefitsofimprovingthethermalperformanceofbuildingsenvelop.For example,amethodologytoanalyseoptimuminsulationmaterialforthe buildingenvelopeanditsthicknesstoachievereductioninenergy con-sumptionispresentedin[7];whereupto40%inenergydemandcan bereduced.Reference[8]presentstheresultsofastudyonincreasing energyefficiencyincollectiveresidentialbuildingsusinginfrared ther-mography.Asexpected,theheatingenergyconsumptionissignificantly reducedwhenexternalorinternal insulationisapplied.Al-Habaibeh etal.[9]presentedacasestudyofanexistinguniversitybuilding,where theinsulationhasbeenimproved,mainlybyaddinganinternaldoubled glazing.Theenergysavingoutcomeoftherefurbishmentsestimatedto beabout6°Cinwinter,whichcoversanareaof2172m2_.Thestudy comparedbetweenthermalimagesofthebuildingfrom2005and2010 beforeandafterrenovationrespectively.Theimagecomparisonshowed veryclearimprovementinthethermalinsulationperformance.Another study[10]hasevaluatedenergyconsumption,thermalpropertiesand internaltemperatureof14dwellingsasaresultofasolidwallinsulation retrofit.Adecreaseinheattransfercoefficientwascalculated,indicating benefitsofwallinsulation.Friege[11]hasinvestigatedprivate home-owners’insulationactivitiesin Germany,toevaluatetherelatednew policyoptions.Thesurveyincluded275homeowners,andtheresult integratedintoanagent-basedmodel(ABM).Thestudyfoundthatthe regulationfactor,intermsofobligatingnewhomeownerstocarryout wallinsulationhasasignificantimpactinincreasingthetotal insula-tionrateinGermanybyupto40%,whilefactorssuchaseconomical meansandinformationinstrumentshaveaverylimitedeffectin this context.Johanssonetal.[12]exploredtheperformanceofretrofitting ofanoldlisted,brickandwoodbuildinginGermanybyusingvacuum insulationpanels(VIP).Abrickandhomogenouswoodwallselectedto beinsulatedwithVIPexternally,andhygrothermalsensorswereused forrecordingofmeasures.Theresultsindicateanimprovementofthe thermalresistanceoftheretrofittedwall.Antonyová etal.[13] experi-mentallymeasuredthethermalconductivitythroughouttheinsulation materialofaspecificthickness.ByusingPeltiermodule,anoutside en-vironmenttemperatureof−18°Chasbeengeneratedononesideofa cuboidsection of insulationmaterial. Additionally,the approach al-lowedtesting oftheinternalthermal behaviourof thematerialwith respecttothethicknessandmaterialshape.Themethodhasbeen ap-pliedonseveralselectedinsulationmaterials,andbyusingstatistical methods,theresultsareparticularlyusefulfordeterminingtheefficient thicknesswhenselectinginsulationmaterialforbuilding.Hilliahoetal.

[14]haveinvestigatedtheimpactofaddedglazingontheindoor tem-peratureofbalconiesinFinland’sclimate.Thestudyinvolved tempera-turemonitoringof22balconies(17glazed)andtheiradjacentflatsfor circa10months’period.Theresultsshowthatonaverage,the tempera-tureofglazedbalconieswere3.0°Chigherthantheunglazedones.The studystressedtheeffectofthreemainfactorsontheglazedbalconies’ temperature:firstlyandthemostcriticalone,isthestructuralair

tight-ness;followedbysolarradiationandfinallytheheatlossfromadjacent buildingtobalcony,whichallowsthebalconytostoretheheatlossof thebuildinginmid-winter.AccordingtoKylilietal.[15]infrared ther-mographyisoneofthemostemployedtoolsamongthenon-destructive testing (NDT)methodsforbuildingdiagnosticsandtoassessthermal performance.ArecentliteraturereviewpaperbyKirimtatandKrejcar

[16],hashighlightedtheimportanceandtheeffectivenessofinfrared thermographytoassessthermalperformance.Thevisualisationofthe heatlossfromabuildingduringwinternights,whentheimageistaken fromoutside,canbeindicatednormallybybrighterareaswhichshow whereheatisescapingfrom.Theareasofheatlosswillbedarkwhen theimageistakenfrominsidewhichindicatecoldpointswhereheat islostthroughthebuildingenvelop,e.g.throughwall,window,door, roof,etc.Maurielloetal.[17]presentanoverviewofincreasingtherole ofthermaldatacollectiontechniques,andthefutureofthermography diagnosticasakindofHuman-BuildingInteraction(HBI).Thereference presentsapilotstudyofthethermographicenergyauditing,wherethe participantsafterasimpletrainingofferedtouseasmartphone-based thermalcameratoexploretheirenvironment.Thestudyincludedthree participants,whofreelyinspecteddifferentenvironmentaroundthem for4weeks’period.Thestudyhasalong-termvisiontoevaluatethe opportunityofusingthermographybyvolunteersasaninteractivetool toscanandidentifyissueswithinbuildinginfrastructure.

1.1. Infrared thermography and behavioural theories

Senseinfraredtechnologyprovidessimplevisualisationtechniques, ithasbeen recognisedasatoolforpublicengagement and commu-nication. Accordingtoahypothesis ofBoholm[18],thevisualsmay challengea"positioningpower"ontheobserver’smind,whichmaybe resistanttoobservationsthatchallengetheemotionalstatetheycrop. Incomparisonwiththetextualmaterial,visualimagessignificantly pro-videmorefeat,engagementandconcern[19].Themostnoticeable dif-ferenceamongthecomparativeimpactsoftext/verbalcommunications againstvisualmessagescomestotheiremotionaleffect.Itbelievesthat visualsputpeopleinanemotionalpositionwherethetext/verbal ma-terialstaymorelogical,rational,andlinear[20].

TheSocialCognitiveTheorybyBandura[21]viewshumanas self-organizing,self-reflecting,proactiveandself-regulatingratherthanas reactivecreaturesformedanddrivenbyenvironmentalfactorsorinner impulses.Themodelsuggestsadynamictriadicinteractionexplanation forhumanfunctioning,whichconsistofpersonal,behaviouraland envi-ronmentalinfluences.Hence,energyusersbasedonthistheory,ifthey managetounderstandtheproblemoftheirownhouseinsulation,this ‘self-regulating’culturecouldplayanimportantroleforengagementto improvetheirownhomes.TheTheoryofPlannedBehaviour(TPB)can alsobeusedforpredictionofintentionandbehaviour[22].TheTPB suggestthatbehaviourisdependentonindividual’sintention,whichis, initsturn,dependsonindividual’sattitude,subjectivenormand per-ceivedbehaviouralcontrol.Accordingtothetheory,thecentralelement istheindividual’sintentiontoperformaspecifiedbehaviouranditis expectedtocatchthemotivationalfactorsthatinfluencepeople’s be-haviour.Generally,thestrongeranintentiontoinvolveinabehaviour, themorepossiblemustbeitsperformance[23].Inthiscase,if occu-pantsofbuildingscanbeencouragedandmotivatedtotakeimproving measures,thisshouldleadtoabetterengagement.

TheenvironmentallyrelevantbehaviourmodelbyMatthies[24] dif-ferentiatesbetweentwotypesof action:habitualbehaviourand con-sciousdecisions.Thehabitualbehavioursareactions maderegularly andarenotreflectedupon,andtothesebelongsmosttheenergy con-sumptionactivities.However,basedonthistheory,toengagepeople, they will needtomake conscious decisions,fora new normshould take place which is called bythe theory ‘normactivation’. This be-haviourcouldbe relatedtopeople’sbehaviourin buildings,butalso couldbe relatedtoacceptingorrejectingthecurrentperformanceof theirbuildingsandtheneedtodosomethingaboutittoimprovethe

Fig. 1. Traditionalthermographyprocedure. conditionsandreducethemonthlyenergybillsparticularlyduring

win-termonths.Theprocessof‘normactivation’consistsofthreestages, in-cludingrealisingtheexistenceoftheproblem,realisingthatbehaviour (orthelackof action)isrelevanttotheproblemandfinally becom-ingconsciousthatthereispossibilitytoinfluencethebehaviourandits outcomes.

Hencesome researchershave recognisedthis power of visualiza-tionandtheinfluenceofpeople’sbehaviourtoenhancepeople’s per-formance.Forexample,Goodhewetal.[25]hasinvestigatedthe be-haviouraleffectofvisualisationofheatlossfromresidentialhomesand theconsequencesforenergysavingusinginfraredtechnology.By pro-vidingthermalimages,thestudyenabledhouseholderstoseehowthe heatescapesfromtheirhomesinordertostudytheeventual motiva-tionalimpactonbehaviouralenergyconservation.Theresearch con-centrateson a new examinationof the behavioural effect, which is relatedtoproblemvisualisationandtheabilitytoencourage residen-tial energysaving measures through suchvisualisations. Theresults show potentialenergy conservationbyusing thedemonstrated visu-alisationtechnology.Thereferencerecommendsthatfutureworkwill providemoredynamicvisualizationsoftheheatflows,without iden-tificationof amethodologyfor that.However,theimageswere pro-videdtoparticipantsandexplainedtothem.Balvedietal.[26]have articulatedtheeffectofpeople’sbehaviouronenergyconsumptionand havefoundthatbehaviourplaysanimportantroleinenergy consump-tion.Pasinietal.[27]haveshowcasedenhanceduserengagementto practiceenergysavingsusinggameapproachestoenhance participa-tionandengagement.Thelinkbetweenenergypovertyandhomes cold-nesshas beenaddressed in [28]. Other research workalsoinvolved the effect of visualisation of infrared thermography on people’s en-gagement[29,30]andresultshaveshownsignificanteffectonpeople’s response.

Inthispaper,thelessonslearntfromliteraturearecombinedto in-tegrateinfraredthermographywithagameapproachandbehavioural theoriestoexploreanewstrategyforenhancingpeople’sengagementto improvetheirbuilding’sperformanceortheirrelatedenergysaving be-haviour.Thegameapproachisbasedonusingthemobilebasedinfrared cameratodiscoverandidentifydefectswithintheinsolation.Thegame approachshouldbedrivenbypersonalcuriosityandprovideexcitement totheparticipantswhenusingthetechnology.

2. Methodology

2.1. The new proposed strategy

Whenthecurrentcommonpractiseofusinginfraredthermographyis considered,itonlyusesthevisualisationaspecttoinformpeopleabout theirownhouse.Fig.1presentsthecommonpractiseofemployinga professionalpersontocapturetheperformanceofthebuildingsvia

in-fraredthermography;andthepointsofconcerntobereportedand ex-plainedtothehouseholder.Itcanbearguedthatlimitedengagementis expectedduetothelackofparticipation;inadditiontotheexpectedcost oftheprofessional’stime.Thereport,whichisnormallydonewithout thehouseholder’sinvolvement,includedifferentcalculationthatmight bedifficultforthenon-technicalpersontounderstand.Asresultofthe process,thehouseholderreceivesareportwithexplanationand sugges-tionsforimprovements.Toaddressthelimitationsinthecurrentculture,

Fig.2presentsthesuggestedmethodologywhichisbasedonahigher level ofengagement. Itincludestheintegration ofknowledge, train-ing,gameapproach,behaviouraltheoriesandpeopleperformingtheir owninfraredsurveys.Theargumentisthatwhenpeopledotheirown infraredsurveys,theywillfeelempoweredandmotivatedtoimprove thehousetheylivein.Additionally,theimpactofthegameapproach byutilizingthefeelingoffunandthemotivationtosaveenergywill leadtoidentificationofpotentialissueswithintheinsulation.Also,if peoplehavelimitedincomeandarenotabletoaffordaprofessional, thisapproachformsacompromisetoprovideareasonableevidenceof information.

Asshownin Fig.2, thenovelapproachprovidesathermography trainingforhouseholderstobeabletocarryouttheirown thermogra-physurveyoftheirownhouseataverylimitedorforfree.The thermog-raphytrainingconsistsofalimitedtheoreticalthermographysession, followedbyapracticaltrainingonasimplelowcostandlow resolu-tioninfraredcamera(Flir-One)whichisconnectedtoamobilephone. Thepracticaltrainingisappliedonasimulationbuildingmodelwhich isdevelopedforthispurpose[31,32].Thecameraisthefirstversionof mobile-basedcamerasthatcanbeattachedtoaniPhone5.Tomakeit easierforparticipants,theinfraredcameraandtheiPhone5werelent asoneunittotheparticipants.Thecamerahadasensitivityof0.1°C withblendingtechnologyofvisualandinfrareddata.FLIR-ONEinfrared imagesinthispaperaredisplayedwithvisualedgesoftheobjectsto enhancethevisualisationduetothelowresolutionoftheoriginal in-fraredimage,whichisnamedThermalMSX(MultiSpectralDynamic Imaging).

Thetrainingaimstoincreasethehouseholders’awareness, under-standing andmotivationin relationtoenergyconsumption in build-ings.Thethermographysurveyisanexerciseforthehouseholdersto implementwhatthey havelearnedin theeducationalsessionandto identifytheareasofissuesinthebuildingsimulator.Theinfrared mea-suring systemis designedtoimprove thebuildingenergyawareness andengagement,particularlyinrelationtotheirrespectiveown build-ing. Inaddition,itis expectedtoobservesome behaviouralchanges as aconsequenceof thevisualisedinsulationissues.The simulation-building-modelconsistsoftwoidenticalbuildings,aninsulatedbuilding andanon-insulatedone,providedwithcontrolandtemperature mon-itoringsystems.Forfurtherdetailsaboutthesimulator,pleasereferto [31,32].

Fig. 2. Schematicdiagramofanovelsuggestedmethodology.

Fig. 3. Aschematicdiagramoftheimplementedmethodologyinthisresearchwork.

2.2. Experimental work

Thestudyisdesignedtoinvestigatetheeffectofenhancingpeople engagementininfraredthermographyenergyauditingbyusingalow costthermalcameratoscantheirownbuildings.Toassessthevalue ofpeopledoingtheirownsurveys,thestudyconsistsofthree question-nairesthathavebeenprovidedtoparticipantsbetweenthestagesofthe process,asshowninFig.3.

Questionnaire1(pre-test),includestwopartsofquestions, sociode-mographiccharacteristicpart,whichcoverinformationaboutthe par-ticipantandhis/herhouseholdandthesecondpartexaminethe partic-ipants’awarenessregardingenergyconsumptionandinsulationissues

relatedtotheirspecifichousehold.Questionnaire2,coversthe edu-cational session, includingparticipantsevaluationofthesession and what theyhavelearned.Questionnaire3(post-test),consistsoftwo parts,thefirstpartisarepetitionofthesecondpartofthefirst ques-tionnaire,tocompareandassesstheirenergyandinsulationawareness relatedtotheirownbuildings,beforeandafterthethermographic sur-vey.Thesecondpartofthequestionnaireis relatedtotheir thermo-graphicexperienceoftheirbuildings,potentialdetectedproblemsand theactionmaytheyplantotaketoimprovetheperformanceoftheir buildings.Therequestforparticipationwasadvertisedandthefirst50 people whohaverespondedwereselectedfor thiswork. The partic-ipants havereceivedthenecessaryinstructionsregardinghealth and

Fig. 4. Educationalsessionforparticipants.

safetybeforetheycollectedtheinfraredcameraandtheassociatedkit. Thehealthandsafetyinstructionincludednecessaryinformationabout participants’safetywhiletheycarryoutthethermographyauditingof theirbuilding. Only thermalimagesof theirownbuildingfrom out-sidewererequired,andindoorimageswereoptional.Theinstruction includedalsotechnicalrecommendationsregardingtheoptimal condi-tionsforthermography,particularlytheminimumtemperature differ-encebetweentheinsideandtheoutsideofthebuildingandthemost suitabletimesforthermography.Thisincludestoconductthesurveyat nightwhenthetemperaturedifferencebetweentheindoorandoutdoor isatleast10°C.

Theeducationalsession,seeFig.4,waslimitedtogeneral informa-tionregardingenergyconsumptionin buildingsandatrainingabout howtousetheinfraredcameraandcarryoutthesimplethermography survey.Eachtrainingsessionlastedforabout60minutesonlyincluding theexperimentaltraining.

Thethermalmeasurementsystem,seeFig.5,consistsofalow-cost smartphone-basedthermal camera(FLIR-ONE)connectedtoa smart-phone(iPhone5).Twoidenticalthermalsystemswereavailabletouse inthisstudy.Additionally,theauditingkitincludedathermometerfor monitoringofinternal andexternaltemperatures,areflectivevest, a healthandsafetyinstructiononhowtocarryoutthermographysurvey andinstructionon howtousetheinfrared camera.Thetrainingwas doneonthesmallmodelratherthananactualbuilding, becausethe traininginthiscasecouldbedoneinasafeandrelaxedenvironment duringthedaytimeregardlessoftheoutsidetemperatureandweather conditions.Moreover,participantscouldattendatthesametimeand theinsulatedandpoorlyinsulatedbuildingcouldbeseenusingthesame imageatthesametimeforcomparison(Fig.5-b).

Fig.5showsthesimulationmodeloftwobuildings,oneisinsulated andtheotherispoorly insulated.Thesimulationmodelhelpin two ways:(1)totrainpeopleonusingtheinfraredcamera;and(2)trainon detectingissueswithbuildinginsulation.Eachmodelabaseof20cm x15cmwithamaximumhighestof18.5cm.Wallthicknessis modu-lardependingontheinsulationused.Forfulldetailsaboutthemodel, pleasereferto[31,32].

Theparticipatescollectedthethermalsystemduringdaytimeand re-turneditbackonthenextday,tobeabletocarryoutthethermography duringthenighttime.Afterthethermographysurvey,theparticipants completedthethirdquestionnaire.Thethermographysurveywas car-riedoutbetweenFebruaryandMarchinthecityofNottinghaminUKin 2016.Theaveragehighestandlowesttemperatureswere9°Cand1°C respectively.Followingthethermographysurvey,theresearcherswent throughtheimagestogetherwiththeparticipantanddiscussedquality

oftheimages,thesurveyexperienceandthepossibleactionswhichmay takeplacetoimprovetheefficiencyofthebuilding.

2.3. Houses characteristics

Intotal50householders(n=50),haveparticipatedinthedata col-lection, seeAppendix1.Theanalysisis conductedquantitativelyvia questionnairesandqualitativelyviatheresponseoftheparticipantsand commentsviathecasestudiestheinfraredimagestheyhavecaptured. Forasampleof(n=50)foraninfinitypopulationthisindicatesamargin oferrorinthesamplingprocesstobe±12%withconfidenceintervalof higherthan90%.Confidenceintervalistheprobabilitythatthesample accuratelyreflectstheattitudeofthepopulationwhilemarginoferror istherangeinpercentagethatthepopulation’sresponsemaydeviate fromtheresponseofthesample.Appendix1showsthebuilding demo-graphicdataofthebuildingsincludedinthisstudy,where42%ofthe households areownersrespective 58%tenants.Thebiggest groupof thepropertiesaresemi-detachedhouses(36%),followedbydetached houses(22%).Theageofthebuildingsvariesbetweennewbuildings 16%(0-20yearsold)andoldbuildings24%(over80yearsold).Mostof thebuildingshavedoubleglazedwindows(80%)andtherestaresingle glazed.Atleast50%oftheroofsareinsulated,while28%of household-ersareunsureiftheirroofisinsulatedornot.Appendix2illustratesa summaryofasociodemographiccharacteristicdataoftheparticipants andtheirhouseholds,whichonlyincludetherelevantcasesfor discus-sion.Eachparticipantisgivenareferencenumber(e.g.P1for partici-pantnumber1)andtheresultswillbeanonymouslypresentedinthis paperbasedonthereferencenumber.

3. Results

Forthepresentationofresults,theresponseofquestioner2willbe initiallydiscussedtoidentifythefeedbackaboutthetrainingsession. Theresultsofquestionnaires1and3(preandposttesting)willbe dis-cussedusingthesamegraphs.Followedbythequantitativeresultsof theparticipant’scommentsandcasestudies.

3.1. The effectiveness of the infrared thermography training session

Whenparticipantsareaskedaboutthevalueoftheconducted train-ingsession,88%ofparticipantsagreeorstronglyagreethatthe edu-cationalsessionhelpedthemtounderstandtheinfraredthermography of buildings,seeFig.6.Theresults ofotherquestionsshow thatthe infraredcameraisfoundtobecomfortabletooltousetoscanthe build-ingsimulator(94%),averyeffectivetooltorevealtheheatlosses(92%) andisveryeasytouse(96%)respectively.Theresultsshowthat82% ofparticipantsindicateanimprovementintheirawarenessoftheway in whichenergyislostfrom buildingsusing thesmall-scalebuilding simulatorsuchaswalls,windows,doors,framesandroof.Intotal,88% ofparticipantsconfirmthattheeducationalsessionhashelpedthemto understandtheinfraredthermography,and84%haveindicatedthatit hasencouragedthemtoinspecttheinsulationoftheirownhomes.

Manycommentsexpressingincreasingofenergyawarenessafterthe sessionarecommunicated:

“Teaching session was quite informative.” (P20); “Learning how much energycertaintypesofheatersuseandhowthattranslates intoactualcostonbills” (P42);“ Ifoundthecomparisonbetween ef-ficientandnon-efficienttechnologyveryhelpfulandeffectivein un-derstandingenergyconsumption(P06);“Thesessionmademealso moreawareofwaystopreventheatlost” (P18);and“Theteaching sessiongavesomeverygoodandsimple(almostshocking!) exam-plesofefficientuseof electricity,Iwassurprisedhowmuch heat islostthroughhousewalls” (P17);“Ithinktheteachingcoursewas good.Ialreadyhaveabackgroundonthermalcamerasbutitisthe firsttimetousetheoneattachedtoiPhone,itisbrilliantidea” (P02);

Fig. 5. Trainingthehouseholdersonthedevelopedsimulationbuildingmodel,theuseofFLIR-ONEcameraisshowninfigures. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree Degree of agreement

The training session has helped me to understand infrared

thermography

Fig. 6. Howhelpfultheeducationalsessionhasbeeninunderstandingthe

in-fraredthermography.

“Thesessionmademeverycurious about the heat lost in my house and I was really intrigued by the infrared camera ”. (P18)and“[Thetraining session]made me realise how much we ignore the importance of energy efficiency ” (P14).

Bothqualitativecommentsandquantitativeanalysisindicate that themajorityofparticipantshavefoundtheteachingsessionofthe in-fraredcameraandthebuildingmodelinformative.

3.2. Pre and post testing response

Theparticipants’reactionbeforetrainingandafterthesurveyis cap-turedinseveralquestions.Whentheyareaskedabouttheirawareness ofthemajorenergy-lossissuesin theirownhomes, aclear improve-menthasbeenidentifiedaftertheycarriedoutthethermography sur-vey,seeFig.7.Acomparisonbetweentheresponsesfromthefirst ques-tionnaire(pre-test)andthethirdquestionnaire(post-test)showsonce againaclearimprovementofpeople’sawarenessconcerningthe insula-tionmeasureswhichmakethebiggestsavingeffectintheirhomes,see

Fig.8.

Providingsuchattractivemoderndevice(FLIR-One)tobeusedona smartphonetoallowpeopletoinspecttheirownhomesandidentifythe areasofissuesininsulationmayincreasetheirmotivationtobeengaged towardsdoinghomeinsulationimprovementandmoresustainable

en-0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

Degree of agreement

I am aware of the main causes of energy losses in my house

. pre-test post-test ) %( st n a pi ci tr a P

Fig. 7. Thepre-andpost-testofparticipants’responseregardingthe

identifica-tionofthecausesofheatlosses.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

Degree of agreemnet

I know which energy measures make the biggest saving

effect in my house.

Fig. 8. Thepre-andpost-testofparticipants’responseconcerningtheenergy

measures,whichmakethebiggestsavingeffectintheirhomes.

ergyconsumption.Manyofthecommentsshowasignificantinterestto thethermalcameraandthethermalimages:

“Thisdevice is quite interesting and amazing because it tells me how and where heat is going out from my room. Now I know how to minimize room-heat loss ” (P12); “Thermal images revealed that from where the most of the heat is escaping from the house ” (P20);and“I was very surprised to find that there appears to be more heat lost through the walls than through the roof. I was also very interested to see the improvement

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree Degree of agreement

The insulaon of my house needs improvement.

pre-test Post-test ) %( st n a pi ci tr a P

Fig. 9. Thepre-andpost-testofparticipants’responseregardingtheneedof

improvementintheirrespectivehouse.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Strongly disagree

Disagree Unsure Agree Strongly agree

Degree of agreement

I am planning to change the way I heat my house.

pre-test post-test ) %( st n a pi ci tr a P

Fig. 10. Thepre-andpost-testofparticipants’responseregardingtheirplanto

changethewaytheyheattheirhouses.

in the amount of heat lost through those parts of the walls that I know to be better insulated than other parts ” (P48);

Intotal,90%of theparticipantsbelievethatthethermalcamera hashelpedthemtoidentifyinsulationdefectscausingheatlossesin theirownhomes;84%considerthatthethermalcamerahelpedthem toidentifychangestheycanmaketoimprovetheenergyefficiencyof theirhomesand80%ofparticipantsagreeorstronglyagreethattheir respectivehouseneedsimprovement,seeFig.9.

About84%ofparticipantsconsiderthatthethermalimageshave convincedthemthattheheatisescapingfromtheirhomes.94%agree orstronglyagreethatthethermalimageshelpedthemtoseehowmuch heatwaslostfromtheirhomes.84%believethatthethermalimaging hasmadethemthinkmoreseriouslyabouttheheatlossesfromtheir homes.Anumberofparticipantsareplanningtochangethewaythey heattheirhouses,seeFig.10,forexamplereducingtheradiators’ tem-peratureinsomelocations.

Thehouseholdersarefoundtobeimpressedwiththethermalcamera andhowithelpedthemtoidentifytheareasofdefectintheirinsulation inaveryeasyway(P30,P43andP47),andmeasurestakenasaresult canhelpinincreasingtheenergyefficiencyofthehomeandsavingof money(P32andP47).

“Using the thermal camera enabled me to detect the areas where the heat escapes, and consequently do something about it to make the house more efficient and ultimately save money. ” (P47)

Accordingtotheparticipants’comments,alongwiththeeducational sessionthethermographysurveytheyhavedonepromotedtheincrease intheirbuildingenergyawareness,particularlyinrelationtothe par-ticipantsownbuildings(P22,P46,P12,P17,P43,etc.).

a

b

d

g

c

f

e

Fig. 11. IRimagewithvisualedgesofabuildingtakenbyparticipantP49.

“…the study has created more awareness about the use of energy in the house. ” (P22)

Differentbehaviouralchangesarealsoobservedfollowedthe ther-mographyinspection,forexamplemanyoftheparticipantsmentioned theuseofcurtainsduringthenight(e.g.P17,P22andP46):

“I am trying to use curtains during the night to minimize the heat loss from the window. ” (P12).

Asaresultofincreasingofawarenessandundertakingthe thermog-raphysurveythehouseholdersbecamemoreoriented onthewayin whichtheyoperatetheheatingofdifferentpartoftheirhome.

“I am planning to lower the volume of my e-heater so as to warm my room in an energy efficient way ” (P12);

“… will change the sitting of the heater in the corridor to lower temp to decrease the loosed energy, because the place is not well insulated. ”

(P43).

Somehouseholdersplantotakenecessaryactionsinordertoreduce thelostenergy:

“…. installing plastic secondary glazing to more windows and putting up more curtains. “ (P17); “… and purchase some door mats to keep the heat in. ” (P34); and “Will look into future upgrades as and when required repairing .” (P33).

Anothertenanthouseholderhave chosentomovefrom an ineffi-cienthouse,andthiscanbeanimportantmessageforthelandlordsto improvetheirrentedproperties,whichingeneralusetobelessefficient thantheownedproperties[11].

“I am planning to move out form this house, because I saw a lot of loss energy through the insulation. ” (P25).

Thestudyhasalsoinspiredaparticipanttoraisehisambition re-gardinghisfuturesuper-efficienthome.

“Participating in this project has even further boosted my desire to design and build my own super-efficient home! ” (P17).

Inordertomatchthehouseholders’specificcommentswiththeright imagesandprovidehighstandardofresearchquality,theauthorshave arrangedameetingtodiscusswiththeparticipantsthecapturedthermal imagesindetail,andthefollowingcommentisoneoftheseexamples, wherethehouseholderhasbeensatisfiedwiththeefficiencyofhishouse windowsanddoors.Italsoshowshowthehouseholdergot confirma-tionaboutthebenefitofthesecondarydoorinsavingenergy,especially whenhecomparesitwithhisneighbour’s,seeFig.11.

InrelationtoFig.11,theparticipantstated:“Thethermalimages reassured methatmythree-year-olddouble glazing (a, b, c and d) is

Fig. 12. IRimageswithvisualedgesofdoors taken by participants, a)P06, b)P13, c)P17, d)P42,e)P45,f)p48andg)P50.

working well. All the windows were replaced at the same time. At this time of year, the heating is on constantly. [My neighbour] His windows (f) were single glazed. (f) is the 19th Century main door but there is a second single glazed porch door in front of it. My neighbour’s door (g) is identical but he has no porch door in front of it ” (P49).

3.3. The thermography survey and identification of insulation issues

Theresultsofthethermographysurveyaredividedintofive differ-entcategoriesrespectively:Doors,windows,walls,roofsandfloors.In thissection,onlythemosttypicalcasesarediscussedwhichconstitutes onlypartoftheparticipantsinthisstudy(seeAppendix2).Thethermal imagesofthebuildingsaretakenbythehouseholders(participants)and arelinkedtotheirowncomments.

Thecommentsshow thatthethermographysurveyhasenhanced theparticipants’buildingenergyawarenessingeneralandparticularly moreawarenessincreasingisobservedconcerningtheindividual’sown buildinganditsthermalperformance.

“Using the camera has helped prove some of my previous ideas about heat loss from my house, and also highlighted things that I was unaware of. For example, heat coming through the walls from my neighbours house; effects from heating with an open fire; the effectiveness of simply drawing curtains/blinds. ” (P17)

Thenextsectionsarecategorisedbasedonthebasiccomponentsof thebuildingenvelopewhichtheparticipantswereinspectinginthe thermographysurvey,includingdoors,windows, walls,roofsand floors;thermalbridgesortheslab-facadeunionissuesarediscussed withinthosesectionsassuitable.

3.3.1. Thermal insulation of doors

Doorsanddoorframestogetherrepresentsanimportantpartofa buildingandisinspectedwidelybytheparticipantsinthisstudy.

Fig.12(a,b,c,eandf)showssometypicalcasesofdoorissues.Gaps arounddoorsisgenerallyaverycommonproblem,eveninthisstudy, whichmainlydependsontheageofthedoorsintheoldhomes.Inmost ofthecases,theparticipantstriedtoimplementvariousmeasuresto

reduce theheatlossthroughthesegaps,e.g.byaddingdraughtseals aroundthedoorsorfillingthegaps.

“In the short term, I am planning to cover door openings, such as the cat flap and any other small openings around the doors, in order to avoid the heat loss noticed through the thermal camera .” (P06); “I intend to insulate… also draft excluders around the doors. “(P13); “… I am fill- ing gaps around doors, adding draught strip around doors. ”(P17); “I am losing heat from around the front door frame, which I plan to reduce by fitting foam insulation strip. ” (P45); and“I may try and improve the draft proofing to the doors .. ” (P48).

Someofold,externaldoorscannotbeclosedproperly,whichmeans lossofheatthroughthese openingsbetweenthedoorandtheframe (Fig.12-d).

“Seeing how even small openings/cracks can leech heat and the impor- tance of properly sealing up things like windows and doors. Our external conservatory door struggles to close and it was very obvious from the images the effect that was having. ” (P42)

Thereareevenparticipants,whoplantomakedrasticimprovement oftheirexternaldoors,byreplacingthemwithnewones(Fig.12-g):

“The external doors will be replaced with double glazed plastic doors in due course and funds allow. ” (P50).

3.3.2. Thermal insulation of windows

Fig.13 presents examplesof poorlyinsulated windows.Old win-dows,bothsingleanddoubleglazed,andevensomelowqualitynew doubleglazedareacauseforlosingenergyinbuildings,butbyusing curtains atnighttimestheheatlossthroughthewindowscan be re-duced,andtheparticipantsareawareaboutthatnowasagoodpractice.

“As the thermal imaging let me know that most of the heat are escaping from my window (3 pieces’ windows), I am trying to use curtains during the night to minimize the heat loss from the window .“ (P12)

Olddoubleandsingleglazedwindowsinstalledbefore 2002,can needdraughtproofing.Thepotentialdraughtinbuildingscanaccount

Fig. 13. IRimageswithvisualedgesof win-dowstakenbyparticipants;a)P12,b)P23,c) andd)P38,e)P44,f)P46andg)P48.

formassiveamountsofenergyloss,thereforedraughtproofingcanmake significantenergysaving:

“adding draught strip around doors and windows that do not have draught strip, or where old draught strip is worn, installing plastic sec- ondary glazing to more windows and putting up more curtains. ” (P17).

Again,someparticipantsfeelthepowerofthevisualimage,which convincesthemtoplantoreplaceaninefficientwindowwithanewone, whichevaluatesasabettersolutionintermofenergysaving:

“The thermal imaging showed that heat was being lost through the win- dows … It may be time to think about replacing my double glazed win- dows…” (P23); “We were thinking about insulating the bay window in the front bedroom which we will definitely do now. … and think about changing the other windows for better quality ones. ” (P38);“… change

the single glazed window above the front door to a double glazed one. ”

(P44);and“Will upgrade windows ” (P46).

Someofairleakingaroundthedoorsandwindowscanbemore com-plicated,andthehouseholdhasdifficulttodealwith.

“… the cold spots around doors and windows I think are to do with design faults which would require fairly major renewal work to remedy. “(P48).

3.3.3. Thermal insulation of walls

Figs.14and15representexamplesoftheinfraredimagescaptured andtheparticipant’sreferencenumber.Someparticipantsareconvinced regardingthebenefitofinsulatingtheirhomes,particularlywhenthe energylossissignificantanditfeelscold.

“I intend to have the bungalow fully insulated from exterior wall insula- tion, this is where most of the heat was lost in my property .” (P13).

Fig.14-ainrelationtohouseholderP13,showsabrightimageofthe houseisspecificlocations,whichindicatesignificantheatlossthrough windows,doorsandwalls.Fig.14-bdemonstratesindoorimageoftwo completelydarkexternalwalls,whichmeanscoldareas.Fig.14-cclearly illustratesthatthewallsattherightsideofthewindowandthehallway belowthewindowarecompletelydark,whichisagainanindicationof coldareas.

Mostofthehomesthatbuiltbefore1919probablyhavesolid exter-nalwallsandtheylosetwiceasmuchheatascavityonesdo.Insulation ofsolidwallsthereforehavesignificantpotentialtosaveenergy.

“I plan on having the walls insulated as there are no cavity walls thus lots of heat escaping. “ (P14).

Fig.14-dalsorepresentaninefficienthouse.Belowthewindowin

Fig. 14-ethewallis completely dark, whichis absolutely cold non-insulated area.Fig.14-fshowsacompletelydarkcold externalwall, inclearcontrasttoabrightinternalwallandceiling.

Someparticipantsaresurprisedoverthepotentialamountofheat, whichislostfromtheirhouse,andthinkingaboutthepotentialof im-provingit.

“I saw how much heat is being lost through the exterior walls and how much difference it would make to insulate walls. However, this would be financially not viable .“ (P18).

As image (b) in Fig. 15 illustrates, the external wall is com-pletelydarkfrominside,non-insulatedwall,incontrasttotheinternal bright warmwall.Someparticipantswereable todiscover some de-fect/damageintheirwall,whichtheydidnotsuspectpreviously,and immediatelytheytrytoinvestigateandsolvetheissueinaprofessional way.

“I’m going to contact a builder/expert to look into the heat loss in our back bedroom - there was a lot of heat loss at the top of the side wall (all the way across) where the guttering is externally .” (P34).

Image(d)inFig.15representsadarkpathatthetopsideofthe window,whichisseenasitspreadsupwardly,whilethethermal im-age (Fig.15-c)of thementionedwindow fromoutsidedid notshow anywalldefects.Also,anotherparticipantwillinvestigateapotential defect/damagethatindicatedduringthethermography:

“We will also look at the small front bedroom above the window -there was a lot of heat loss there too. ” (P38)

Fig. 15-eillustrates anotherdarkpath abovethe window,which spreadsdown.

Fig. 14. IRimageswithvisualedgesofwalls takenbyparticipants;a),b)andc)P13,d),e) andf)P14.

Fig. 15. IRimageswithvisualedgesofwalls

takenbyparticipants;a)andb)P18,c)andd) P34,e)P38,f),g)andh)P42.

Fig. 16. IRimageswithvisualedgesofwalls takenbyparticipants;a)P43,b),c)andd)P45 ande)andf)P48.

Tobeabletoseecoldspotsonthewallbytheneckedeye,especially attheupperparts,isnoteasy;andwhenthethermalimagerevealed that,thehouseholderbecamemoreconvincedregardingthesourceof coldness,andfurthertheextentofenergylossinthebuilding.

“Seeing darker, cold patches in the corner of a few walls made me realise just how much heat can be lost that way. “ (P42).

Fig.15-gshowsadarkhallwaywall,whichisabigsourcefor cold-ness,whileFig.15-hrevealsacolddarksportonthewallveryclearly. Someparticipants,byrevealingcoldspotsintheirwallshavegotan explanationforwhyhishouseiscoldandinefficient,forexample:

“… there is cold spots in many places which make the house cold and inefficient. “ (P43)

Fig.16-ashowsmanydarkcoldspotsonthewallthatarevery dif-ficulttoidentifyandquantifybytheneckedeye.Do-it-yourself(DIY) thermographyisagoodopportunitytoinspecttheefficiencyofinstalled insulations,toseeifeverythingisdoneproperly.Aparticipantfoundan unexpectedbigdarkspotinthelounge(Fig.16-b)andabrightarea belowthewindow(Fig.16-c).

“Thereisaverycoldspotnearmysofainthelounge,whichINeed tofindthecauseofandrectify. Ihavehadcavitywallinsulation butthereareareasofheatlossthroughthewalls,particularlyfrom theradiatorbelowthewindowinthelounge,wherethe photo taken outside shows heat loss right through the wall. Unfortunately, there is nowhere else suitable to site the radiator. The insulation needs improving, and there are cold spots on internal walls that need investigating .” (P45).

Fig.16-bandcdemonstrateabigdarkareaonthewall,closetothe sofaandabrightareabelowthewindowrespectively.Bothcases repre-sentpoorqualityinsulationorapost-installationdamage.Suchdefects aredifficultforthehouseholdertodiscoverbyherself.Theseissuesmay needtobeinvestigatedbyaprofessionalbuilder/thermographer.

Thethermographysurveyrevealsthemissingareaofinsulation,and theheatvisualisationdoesnotleavemuchspaceforspeculations.The

householderdiscoveredeasilythattheinsulationrenovationwasnot doneproperly(Fig.16-f).

“It was revealing that in my new extension, which was built 8 years ago, there was a very cold area down one corner where two walls meet which must mean that the builders failed to take the cavity wall insulation right into the corners. “ (P48).

Animproperrenovationworkalwaysleadstolaterconfusionand dissatisfactionforthehouseholder,whenthecostlyinvestment un-abletobeofferinganimprovementandthehouseholdercannot af-fordanadditionalinvestmentforimprovement(Fig.16-eandf).

“Whilst the thermal imaging has educated me about the weak spots in the insulation of my home I am unsure whether I will take any action as it would require fairly invasive work to the walls. I have already got cavity wall insulation and I think the only way of improving on this would be to line all the walls internally with insulated board. ” (P48).

Thehouseholdergoesfurtherandsuggeststhermographytraining forbuilderstogivethemanewperspectiveandanewtooltoimprove theaccuracyoftheirwork.

“Thermal imaging would be a useful education tool to demonstrate to builders the impact of their failure to make sure every part of the building is properly insulated. It is easy during the building process for builders to lose sight of the reason why it is important to take care with insulation. If something is not visible when the building is finished builders can be tempted to miss that thing out! “(P48).

3.3.4. Thermal insulation of roofs

Fig.17presentsexamplesofcasestudiesforroofsandlofthatches. Lofthatchisanareawithinthebuildingwherelotsofheatcanbelost through,thereforeitisnecessarytomakesurethatthelofthatchfits snuglyanddraughtproofstripsarebeingfittedaroundtheedges.This issueisshownclearlyinthehouseholders’thermalimages(Fig.17-a,d, fandg).Someofthehouseholdershadidentifiedthelossofheatfrom theirroofduringthethermography,andnowtheybecamemoreaware abouttheneedofimprovement.

Fig. 17. IRimageswithvisualedgesofroofstakenbyhouseholders;(a)P17,(b)P18,(c,d)P23,(e)34,(f)P37and(g)38. “Iidentifiedafewplacesintheatticthatwerelosinglotsofheat.It

isclearthatinsulation needs improving in those places. ” (P18).

Whileotherhouseholderswanttotakeactionandsolvethedefects observedbythethermalimages,whichisagainshowthepowerofthe visualimagetoeffectonthechangeofbehaviour.

“The thermal imaging showed that heat was being lost through the win- dows and especially through the hatch door to the roof space. … I shall certainly see to insulating the roof space hatch door. ” (P23); “I’m also going to have our loft insulated. ” (P34); “We will replace the loft hatch and insulate it “(P38).

Somelettinghouseholderstrytoinformtheirlandlordsaboutthe insulationissuesandaskthemtotakeactiontoimproveit.

“I will be asking the owner of the house to consider insulating the attic ceiling/roof. ” (P17); and“Might inform letting agency about my concerns to the roof and walls insulation, how it affects my bills .” (P37). Incontrasttotheabovecases,thereareotherhouseholderswhoare happywiththeresultoftheirroofinspection.

“I’m renting the house, therefore I will not change any insulation, but I will let landlord know that the new loft insulation is made well .” (P43);and

“It would appear that the roof is already adequately insulated. ” (P48). 3.3.5. Thermal insulation of floors

Floorcontributestoheatlossfromthebuilding,eveniftheamount islessthattheothermentionedareaswithinthebuilding.Someofthe householderscapturedtheseheatlossesduringtheirthermography sur-veys(Fig.18-aandb),asitcanbeseenintheboththermalimagesthe floorhasadarkcolourwhichindicatethecoldestareasintherespective image.

“… assess the potential thermal bridge in the kitchen floor ” (P32); and

“My kitchen floor is clearly not insulated; when I replace the kitchen I will address this ” (P45).

4. Discussion

Fromtheresultsitisevidentthattheparticipantshavebeenengaged intheprocesstodotheirowninfraredsurveys;andtheywerecurious andenthusiasticinusingtheinfraredmobilephonetechnology.This

Fig. 18. IRimageswithvisualedgesoffloor,takenbyhouseholders,(a)P32

and(b)P45.

could bedue tothe‘achievement’componentoftheDIYsurveyand the‘empowerment’theyhavefeltbydoingthesurveythemselves.Also thereisa‘social’componentwhentheparticipantsattendedthetraining sessionsingroups.Senseofaccomplishmentseemstobereflectedinthe feedbackandthecommentstheyhaveprovided.

Theresultsof thispapersuggestthatproviding visible,realtime, vivid,dynamicenergyrelatedinformationcanpromoteenergysaving behaviourchangesandincreaseawarenessandengagements.Thedrive toparticipatecouldalsoberelatedtopeopleattractiontogadgetsand thegameapproach,orinteractivedecisiontheory[33].Inthiscase,the individualwhoisdoingtheinfraredsurveyistryingtoutilizethefunof thegameandseekinga‘reward’whichoccursbyidentifyingpotential issueswithintheinsulation.Asaconsequenceofeventuallydiscovered insulationissues,peoplemaytake actionstosolvethese issues.This interactionbetweenthepersonandhishomebyapplyingagame ap-proachcanleadtoincreasingindividual’sengagementandawareness aboutitsownbuilding,whichinitsturncanleadtoimprovementof buildingsperformance.Fig.19summarisedthesuggestedmodelofthis paperandtheoriesbehandit.

Unlikeannualenergysavings,infraredthermographyprovides im-mediateresponsewhichcanevaluatethecurrentsituationandthe

ef-Low Energy Awareness

Low Awareness about Own

Building

Thermography

Training

Enhancing Awareness about

Own Building

Enhancing Engagement &

Behaviour

Thermography

Auditing

Game Approach

Behavioral Theories

New Knowledge

& Curiosity

Mobile Applications

and Gadgets

Visualisation

Insulation issues

Identification

Increasing Energy

Awareness and

Motivation

Fig. 19. Theappliedmodelofenhancingpeopleengagementinenergyconservationandbackgroundtheories.

fectivenesswhendoinganythermalimprovements suchasusingthe curtainsatnightasanadditionallayerofinsulationonwindows.This instantfeedbackcreatesthedriveof‘action’and‘observe’approach. An-otherdrivefortheparticipantsistomaximisetheirfinancialsavingsand reduceenergyuse.Thisunexpectedoutputofthesurveyortheresultof themodification,createsaninnermotivation.

InsupporttoMatthies[24],‘conscious’decisionsaresupportedby theself-conductedinfraredsurvey;andinlinewithBoholm’sopinion

[18],visualimageshaveprovided astronginfluencetodemonstrate issueswhich arefarawayfromourdailyexperienceandshowthem subjectivelyvivid,thisimpactofthevisualimageisclearlyshownin thecomments.WiththeDIYapproach,whichalsonormallygives peo-plethesatisfactionofachievement,theinvolvementofpeoplehasbeen significantlyhigh.Thispsychologicaldrivetoparticipants,when inte-gratedwiththevisualpresentationoftheinfraredthermography,the trainingandknowledgegains,seemstocreateamotivetobeinvolved andachievepositiveoutcometochangetheperformanceofthehouse. Fromthequalitativeandquantitativedata,itisevidentthat partic-ipantshaveenjoyedusingthesmart-phonebasedinfraredtechnology andthetrainingonthesmall-scalebuildingsimulator.Thebuilding sim-ulatorhastheadvantageoftheabilitytobeusedin-doorsfortraining atanytimeandatanyexternaltemperature.Unliketrainingonreal buildings,thesimulatorhasachievedasimilaroutcomeatmuchlower costandwithoutleavingthetrainingroom.

Accordingto [23], thestronger anintention to involvein a be-haviour,themorepossible mustbe itsperformance;andthisDIY in-fraredsurveyshaveenforcedsuchintention.Theparticipants’energy awarenessandmotivationhavebeenimprovedaftertheyhaveattended theeducationalsession.Theparticipants’awarenessconcerningthe con-ditionoftheirownbuildings’insulationhavealsobeenimprovedafter theyhavecarriedoutthethermographysurveyandidentifiedthe insu-lationissues.Theprocess,particularlythethermographysurvey,have promotedvoluntaryretrofitfutureplanengagementandchangeof be-haviourrelatedtodailyusetowardsmoresustainableoperationoftheir respectivebuilding.

5. Conclusions

Thispaperhassuggestedanovelapproachforenhancingand en-couragingpeople’sengagementbytrainingandeducatingthemtodo

theirownDIYhomes’infraredthermographysurveystoidentifymain issuesthatwouldrequireimprovement.Majorityofpeoplemaynothave abudgettospendonaprofessionalinfraredthermographysurvey; how-ever,lowcostinfraredcameraswithsomebasictrainingcouldplaya vitalroleinDIYsurveys,whenpeopledotheirowninspectionoftheir houses.Duringthisresearchwork,participantswereverykeentotake part.Thiscouldbeassociatedtothefun-relatedaspectsofusingthe tech-nology,combinedwithpeople’slovetogadgetsandthecuriosityfrom what theywillfindwhendoingthework,whichcould beexplained bytheexcitementofthegameapproachandbehaviouraltheoriesof takingconsciousdecisionstoenhancetheirhomesenergyperformance, followingtheworkthattheyhaveconductedthemselves.

Thesurveyandequipmentusedinhiscasemaynotbeatthesame levelasofprofessionalsurveys,butithasbeenfoundtoprovidesome informationandknowledgetohouseowners.Thefeedbackfrom the 50 volunteersin thequantitativeandqualitativeanalysisindicatesa positiveresponseandhighlevelofengagement.

Forexample,theresultsshowthat88%ofparticipantshavefound theeducationalsessionhelpfultounderstandtheinfrared thermogra-phy;and92%haveconsideredtheinfraredcameratobeaneffective tooltoindicatelocationofheatlosses.Also,90%ofparticipantstrust thatthethermalcamerahashelpedthemtoidentifyinsulationdefects thatcauseheatlossesintheirhomes.Intotal,84%believethatthe in-fraredsurveyhasconvincedthemtothinkmoreseriouslyabouttheheat lossesoftheirhomesandwhattheycoulddotoimprovethat.The sug-gestedDIYapproachofusinginfraredthermographyutilisesthemodern trendofpeople’sattractiontomobilephoneapplicationsandtheir in-teresttousesmartphonegadgets.Peoplehaveidentifiedawiderange ofmaincausesofheatlossessuchassolidwalls,poorqualitywindows andpoorlyinsulatedroofsandfloors.Futureworkisplannedwhichwill includeawidernumberofparticipantsinseveralcountriestobeable toquantifythebenefitsoftheapproach.

DeclarationofCompetingInterest

Theauthorsalsodeclarethatthereisnootherconflictofinterest includinganyfinancial,personalorotherrelationshipswithother peo-pleororganizationswithinthreeyearsofbeginningthesubmittedwork thatcouldinappropriatelyinfluence,orbeperceivedtoinfluence,their work.

Appendix1:Buildingdemographicdata.

Characteristics Frequency Percentage

Ownership Owner 21 42 Tenant 29 58 Total 50 100% Property type A terraced house 5 10 Detached house 11 22 Semi-detached house 18 36 A flat/ground floor 3 6 A flat/middle floor 5 10 A flat/top floor 8 16 Total 50 100%

Age of the property (Years)

0-20 8 16 21-40 10 20 41-60 9 18 61-80 6 12 81 or above 12 24 Do not know 5 10 Total 50 100% Type of windows Single glazed 8 16 Double glazed 42 84 Triple glazed 0 0 Total 50 100%

Condition of the loft/attic

Insulated 25 50

Non-insulated 6 12

Unsure 14 28

Not applicable 5 10

Total 50 100%

Appendix2:Summaryofthesociodemographicdata

ID Participant’s age group Educational level Ownership Type of property Age of property (years) Type of windows No. of rooms No. of occupants

P02 45-54 Post Graduate Owner Semi-detached 41-60 Double glazed 3 5 or More

P06 25-34 Post Graduate Owner Terraced 81 or above Double glazed 4 2

P12 25-34 Post Graduate Rental Middle floor flat Do not know Single Glazed 2 1

P13 55-64 Secondary or lower Owner Detached 41-60 Double glazed 5 or more 2

P14 45-54 Further Education Owner Semi-detached 61-80 Double glazed 5 or more 2

P17 35-44 BSc or BA Rental Semi-detached 81 or above Single Glazed 5 or more 1

P18 25-34 Post Graduate Owner Detached 41-60 Doble glazed 5 or more 4

P20 25-34 Post Graduate Rental Semi-detached 81 or above Doble glazed 5 or more 4

P22 35-44 Post Graduate Rental Semi-detached 0-20 Single Glazed 2 4

P23 45-54 BSc or BA Owner Detached 21-40 Doble glazed 5 or more 4

P25 25-34 Post Graduate Rental Middle floor flat 21-40 Doble glazed 5 or more 5 or more

P28 25-34 Post Graduate Rental Top floor flat Do not know Doble glazed 3 4

P30 35-44 Post Graduate Rental Top floor flat 21-40 Doble glazed 2 1

P33 35-44 BSc or BA Rental Semi-detached 41-60 Doble glazed 5 or more 3

P34 25-34 Post Graduate Owner Semi-detached 81 or above Doble glazed 4 3

P37 25-34 BSc or BA Rental Top floor flat 0-20 Doble glazed 2 2

P38 25-34 BSc or BA Owner Semi-detached 61-80 Doble glazed 5 or more 2

P42 25-34 Secondary or lower Rental Detached Do not know Doble glazed 5 or more 4

P43 25-34 Post Graduate Rental Top floor flat 61-80 Doble glazed 3 4

P44 25-34 BSc or BA Owner Terraced 81 or above Doble glazed 5 or more 2

P45 55-64 Further Education Owner Semi-detached 61-80 Doble glazed 5 or more 1

P46 45-54 BSc or BA Owner Semi-detached 81 or above Doble glazed 5 or more 5 or more

P47 25-34 BSc or BA Rental Top floor flat Do not know Doble glazed 3 1

P48 55-64 BSc or BA Owner Detached 41-60 Doble glazed 5 or more 3

P49 45-54 BSc or BA Owner Semi-detached 81 or above Doble glazed 5 or more 4

P50 55-64 Secondary or lower Owner Detached 81 or above Doble glazed 5 or more 2

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