Council uses spy plane with thermal imaging camera to snoop on homes wasting energy[UK]

Daily Mail ^ | 23 Mar 2009 | Andrew Levy

[BGHater]

They already track innocent citizens' movements with CCTV, are in cahoots with police over speed cameras, and have been using powers supposed to tackle terrorism to put tails on people suspected of minor 'crimes'.

Now local authorities are putting spy planes in the air to snoop on homeowners who are wasting too much energy.

The data is being used to create colour-coded maps which will enable council officers to identify offenders and pay them a visit to educate them about the harm to the environment and measures they can take.

A scheme is already underway in Broadland District Council in Norfolk, which has spent £30,000 hiring a plane with a thermal imaging camera.

It said the exercise has been so successful other local authorities are planning to follow suit.

But critics have warned the crackdown was another example of local authorities extending their charter to poke their noses into every aspect of people's lives.

Broadland, which covers towns including Aylsham, Reepham and Acle, hired the plane from a Leicestershire-based company for five days at the end of January.

The aircraft took images of homes and businesses, with those losing the most heat showing up as red, while better insulated properties appear blue.

The council's head of environmental services, Andy Jarvis, said the original plan was to target businesses but it was realised the scope could be extended to include residental properties.

'The project we put together was for a plane to go up on various nights flying strips of the district and taking pictures,' he said.

'Through those images, a thermal image photograph can be created in which you can pick out individual properties which are losing a lot of heat.

[jiggyboy]

Ah here we go:

“Police turn up heat on ‘cannabis factory’ seen by thermal camera ... only to find workshop STOVE”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195295/posts

Odd that this wasn’t mentioned in the newer article, especially as it is the same newspaper. Perhaps they decided at the editorial meeting to describe this inconvenient outcome as “one-off” so they don’t have to report it again.

[Sherman Logan]

In the United States, the USSC had a case where police were using infrared cameras without obtaining a warrent in order to look inside homes.

Not the way infrared cameras work. They read the surface temperature of the exterior of the home, which is of course affected by what is going on inside the home, in the case in question growing of pot. They do not look through walls or inside homes.

[martin_fierro]

[dljordan]

“The Age of Tyranny is here.”

I don’t think it’s going to work out the way they think.

[subterfuge]

Ha. I like that!