Community groups and parish/town councils can borrow one of our thermal cameras for free. This means you can take thermal images of homes and other buildings so you and their owners can see where heat is leaking from them.
The cameras are stored with our volunteer hosts across the county, making it much easier for you to collect and return them. In your box of equipment, you’ll also have guidance and information about what grants and support is available to people in Suffolk to improve their energy efficiency which you can pass on. It might be as simple as draft excluders or a bigger task like better insulating a loft.
If you are part of a community group or parish/town council, you can borrow two thermal imaging for up to four weeks (with the option to book again later in the season if you’ve got lots of interest). Our scheme is quite popular and books up quickly, but you can check if there are any slots available on the booking site linked below.
Click here to book a cameraWe’ve compiled a whole page of useful guidance and resources to help support you run your project. Featuring all the resources you need to run your project, a training webinar to walk you through the process and some premade materials which can be used to help promote your project locally.
Check out our resources
Frequently asked questions
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What kind of buildings can be surveyed with a thermal imaging camera?
Any type of home or community building.
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Who is responsible for the camera when it’s in our Community Group or Parish/Town Council’s possession?
The person who has signed the agreement form on behalf of the community group or parish/town council. We understand that accidents happen and just ask that you take good care of the cameras when in use.
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How long is the battery life on the thermal imaging camera?
There will be two thermal cameras in your loan. The Flir One Pro takes 40 minutes to charge and will last around one hour. Your phone battery will also be reduced while in use so please use the provided power bank.
The Flir One Edge (Pro) lasts around 2.5 hours and takes 1-1.5 hours to charge.
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Do we need a smartphone?
Yes, at least one of the volunteers will need a smartphone or tablet as this is what you connect to the thermal imaging camera. Your device will need at least iOS 17 or Android 13 so that you can install the FLIR ONE app. We recommend using both thermal cameras at the same time to cover more homes, so having two devices is ideal.
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Is there training available?
Yes, we have lots of resources available to help you run your project including a recording of our training session which you can see on our resources page.
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Does there need to be phone signal to use the thermal cameras?
No, when you are doing the thermal imaging surveys your phone doesn’t need to have signal, it just won’t be able to record the location of each thermal image.
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Can rented properties be surveyed?
Yes, under Government legislation, domestic private rented properties are required to meet a minimum energy efficiency standard before they can be rented to tenants. This is defined as an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of E or above.
There may be some measures renters can undertake themselves (double glazing film, draughts excluders etc see our next steps page for more advice) but there is also help for landlords if the property has a low energy rating.
Still unsure about how it works? Or have a few follow-up questions? Contact the team at charles.nixon@suffolk.gov.uk
