E.ON uses drones for energy ‘health assessment’ of British homes

Energy company E.ON is offering drone-based home energy efficiency and distributed energy resource suitability assessments.

The service takes less than one hour to complete assessing customers’ homes for their suitability for solar panels, air source heat pumps and insulation fitted under floors, on solid walls, under roofs or inside lofts.

Using body-worn mobile laser scanners and thermal analysis, E.ON’s drone pilot surveyors can assess walls, floors and ceilings to produce accurate and immediate information, which is then combined with drone images of the property’s roof and surrounding area.

This makes the process of assessing suitability for a range of energy efficiency and other measures quicker and more efficient than measuring by hand using laser or tape.

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The data is then stored, eliminating the need for subsequent visits to the same property if further improvement work is later carried out.

“This is in effect a home and energy health assessment – done by drone in under an hour and giving an inside-out image of all the areas where we can improve energy efficiency and make homes more comfortable for customers, as well as helping to reduce bills and carbon emissions,” says Michael Lewis, CEO of E.ON UK.

He adds that something like 19 million homes across the country are in urgent need of energy efficiency improvements.

“We know homeowners can often be left confused by the range of energy saving options. Our eye in the sky drone technology gives an accurate and speedy assessment of the most suitable and sustainable technologies.”

E.ON is offering the service in partnership with the local drone operator Nationwide Drones, which specialises in surveying and other drone-based data capture for the built environment.