Thermographic Survey in Wells

Wells has a strong concentration of listed buildings, including the Cathedral Church of St Andrew, the Bishop’s Palace and several Grade I listed buildings around the city centre. Many of these homes and conversions were built long before modern insulation standards, so heat can escape through solid walls, roof voids and older joinery. The city sits on younger Triassic strata and gravel deposits, with ridges of Carboniferous Limestone nearby, and the local building mix reflects that geology through stone walls, historic masonry and later infill work. A thermal scan helps us see which parts of that fabric are performing well and which parts are draining energy.

The housing profile also makes a difference. Wells has 11,145 people in the parish, 12,105 in the built-up area and 5,362 households, with 69.0% owner-occupation and 45.6% owned outright. That tends to support longer-term upgrades, because owners can act on what the report shows rather than living with draughts for years. We often find that older homes near the Cathedral quarter need simple fixes first, such as loft top-ups, sealed service penetrations and better junction treatment where stone, render and timber meet.

Newer schemes change the picture again. Wells is seeing development activity at The Elms, Milton Lane, Gypsy Lane, Wookey Hole Road, New House Farm off the A371 Portway and Charter Way. Those homes should be better insulated than the historic stock, yet thermal imaging still finds gaps, especially where builders have added extensions, altered rooflines or installed upgrades after completion. The scan is useful across the whole town, because modern construction can still hide missed insulation or air leakage.

Thermal images use colour to show surface temperature, but the colours are not decoration. Cold areas usually appear blue or purple, while warmer zones move towards red, orange or white, and the pattern tells us where insulation, air tightness or moisture may be failing. Our infrared cameras detect surface temperature variation to 0.1C, which gives us enough sensitivity to pick up weak points at joints, around windows and at roof edges. The real value comes from interpretation, because a cool patch can mean heat loss, but it can also mean shading, a reflection or a surface that has not warmed evenly.

That is why we annotate every image. A patch of cold around a chimney breast in Wells might point to a missing insulation detail, while a bright edge near a glazed extension could be caused by solar gain or a reflective surface. In the report, we explain the temperature difference, what caused it and whether it needs action. The result is not a mystery picture, it is a working plan for the building.

False readings matter, especially in a town with stone buildings, complex roofs and a lot of mixed-age construction. Reflections from shiny surfaces, recent sunshine on the front elevation, or a room that has not been heated properly can all distort the image. Our surveyors check for those factors before recording a defect, so you do not end up chasing a problem that is not really there.

Thermal imaging surveys in Wells start from £300, and the value comes from what the images reveal. A scan can show where loft insulation has slipped, where a cavity wall is underperforming, or where a cold bridge is pulling heat out of a room all winter. That is useful in a town where homedata.co.uk records an overall average sold price of £362,234 and home.co.uk shows an average asking price of £437,460, because small building faults can have a noticeable effect on running costs. The survey fee is usually minor compared with repeated heating waste or avoidable remedial work.

What is included is straightforward. We carry out external and internal infrared scans, then prepare an annotated report that explains the anomalies in plain English and sets out practical next steps. If the property is a listed building, a stone cottage, a newer home near Charter Way or one of the developments off Wookey Hole Road, the same method applies, but the recommendations may differ. Some homes need insulation work, some need draught proofing, and some need a closer look with a further building survey.

Accuracy depends on conditions. The best results come when the heating has been on for at least 2 hours and the inside-to-outside temperature difference is at least 10C, which is why October to March is usually the strongest period. Once those conditions are in place, our thermal imaging specialists can show where the building is losing heat and where repairs should begin. That is the point of the report, to turn visible evidence into a practical plan for a warmer, more efficient home.