Development and demonstration of Automated Rapid Thermal Performance Assessments (RaThPAs) for scalable, accurate assessment of building fabric

Peabody Trust and United Living Property Services Ltd recognise that existing energy performance data is not fit-for-purpose for domestic retrofit at scale. Today, collecting data to prepare for and verify retrofit schemes is too costly and time-intensive, and modelling based on current Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) is inaccurate. To solve this problem in a scalable, cost-efficient manner, Peabody and United Living have formed a collaboration with the technology-lead SME, Kestrix Ltd.

Kestrix is blending machine learning (ML) with area-based thermal image capture to rapidly assess building energy performance, taking the guesswork out of building fabric performance measurement. This drives down the costs and time associated with retrofit planning and outcomes verification for social housing providers (SHPs), energy utilities, and other stakeholders in the domestic retrofit value chain.

Through this project, Kestrix will develop innovative _Rapid Thermal Performance Assessment_ (RaThPA) ML algorithms to interpret thermal images automatically for energy performance. When used in conjunction with area-based thermographic mapping, RaThPAs can unlock building fabric performance benchmarking at the city-level instantly, and at a fraction of the cost.

Peabody, an SHP overseeing 104,000 dwellings and United Living, a top tier residential contractor, will provide close go-to-market input and enable demonstration of the RaThPA technology, enabling rapid post-project commercialisation for Kestrix. Once the technology is developed and tested, Kestrix will be ready to play its role in accelerating retrofit, reducing fuel poverty, and driving the UK's transition to a net zero economy.