Big Brother is Watching Your House Leak Energy
July 30, 2010
What if you could see how well your home was insulated, but it meant the government did a flyover and snapped photos of your house and then posted the data online? Would you feel comfortable with it, or hot and bothered? Check out this infrared screenshot of Antwerp from the Belgian government's online energy project.
Image courtesty of Zoom Into Your Roof.
Discovery News tech blogger Alyssa Danigelis reported on the Belgian government's "Zoom Into Your Roof" online campaign earlier this month. "A little airplane outfitted with a special infrared scanner flew over buildings throughout the country and produced images that show which homes are well-insulted and which ones (weren't)," Danigelis said.
The results were published on a public website so residents can zip around the interactive map of various neighborhoods and see how their houses fared.
When I first read this, my immediate gut reaction was "danger, danger, invasion of privacy, Will Robinson." and it's not the first instance this year that has raised questions of a right to privacy. Google has taken some heat for their Street View, which uses cameras that can zoom in far enough to see what kind of car you have in the driveway. Certainly nothing compares to the full-body-scan controversy, where you can see, um, everything. But with the infrared monitoring, it's still the government spying on your house, right? I loved Danigelis's point with the illegal roof party. A government flyover would definitely cramp your style.
All that aside, the more I thought about it, the more the infrared survey made perfect energy-saving sense to me. Really, what the Belgian government did was a home energy audit on an entire city. It gave them a sense where the greatest amount of energy usage was coming from and allowed the residents to see if they should invest in new insulation.
Knowing that your house is leaking heat or air conditioning because of poor insulation can be very valuable information to you, your community and your power company.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, about 43 percent of your utility bill goes to heating and cooling costs, and one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make to your home is properly insulating your attic. Another bonus: the less energy you consume, the less strain you put on the electrical grid and the fewer rolling blackouts you have.
Studying how good vs. bad insulation works has led to several new, energy-conserving technologies. The U.S. Army started covering their tents with spray foam to keep them cool in the intense Iraqi heat. In another example, scientists at PCM Innovations are developing insulation material for walls that will absorb or reflect heat, depending on the season.
It'll be interesting to see what, if any, action the Belgian government will take after analyzing all of the data they've collected, but this survey is worth repeating in the United States. According to the International Energy Agency, the U.S. earned second place as the world's largest energy consumer in 2009 (China just squeaked into first place).
With reports of hotter summers and colder winters, having infrared flyovers could be an enormous help in battling the energy consumption crisis. Plus, who doesn't want to save a little money these days. Sounds like a cool idea to me.
A Note to Readers: Sadly, this is my final blog entry for Hot Science News, as I've accepted a new job and will be leaving Discovery. It’s been a pleasure to write and discuss various science topics with you, and I'm so grateful to Science Channel for giving me this opportunity. Never stop asking questions!
All the best,
- Lauren


















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