Keeping Coventry warm

We have produced a thermal map of the city so that residents can see how well insulated their home is and can find out if they can save energy and money.

Find your home on the thermal map, using your address or postcode

Using and understanding the thermal map

Please read the frequently asked questions about the thermal map.

How we created the thermal map

When was the heat loss measured?

We commissioned a specialist plane with a thermal imaging camera attached to it to record thermal images for all properties in the city, to give an understanding of how energy efficient they are.

The flights took place early in 2010 in the evening in cold weather conditions. This gave us the best chance of properties being occupied and having the heating on, allowing us to measure the amount of heat 'leaking' out of the roofs. The flight was done at a fixed altitude of 3700 feet.

How was the heat loss measured?

The camera used in the plane didn't 'see' images in the same way as a normal camera, instead it sensed infrared. A reading was taken for every 0.5 square metre of roof area and then a calculation was done to arrive at the most commonly occurring value for each property. The recorded data has been mapped electronically so that it can be accessed by residents online, with colour codes used to represent the relative thermal emissivity.