Buildings contribute to nearly 40% of annual global carbon emissions. In order to successfully combat climate change and achieve the net-zero target, majority of buildings will need to undergo energy retrofits to improve their performance. Thermal infrared (TIR) imaging is an established method to evaluate building heat loss and examine building fabric efficiency. This project utilises thermal infrared imagery collected from drone to emulate that from satellite, and explore the values and requirements on data resolution, viewing angle and collection frequency to inform the development of innovative high-resolution thermal infrared space telescopes that will target individual building's energy efficiency globally. Following from this, it uses specific examples of thermal infrared imagery collected on two identical mid-terraced houses to analyse how energy saving potential differ according to external temperature readings from the building fabrics. The results show that higher external fabric temperatures are associated with higher energy saving potentials from retrofits and thereby demonstrate how TIR imagery can be used in prioritising buildings for retrofits.

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