Innovation of the year: Greater London

While billions are invested in retrofitting social housing in order to address the 20% of UK emissions caused by heating, the sector has lacked a scalable, non-invasive way to verify that insulation measures work as promised – until now. 

 

RetroSPECT, developed by heat loss mapping technology firm Kestrix, uses thermal imaging drones and AI analysis to verify that retrofit insulation works are functioning as promised. RetroSPECT creates digital twins of a home’s exterior from drone imagery at two points in time: before and after retrofit. The algorithm then compares the models side by side.

 

It can flag potential defects, such as thermal bridging or missing insulation, and can also accurately predict how much the home’s thermal performance will improve as a result of the retrofit works. 

 

RetroSPECT was created to democratise access to retrofit verification so there are no excuses for a job not well done. By providing the objective accountability essential to secure future government funding and contractor warranties, RetroSPECT aims to ensure that net zero investment delivers the real-world warmth and decarbonisation it promises.

 

The judges said:

“RetroSPECT is a highly compelling innovation that addresses the retrofit performance gap. It provides a scalable and non-invasive method to verify whether retrofit interventions are delivering real-world energy and carbon savings”