Unlocking sharing habits: learnings from our free thermal imaging camera campaign

What if part of the answer to today’s energy crisis isn’t waiting in some distant policy change, but is already there in our communities and high streets?

This winter, we asked that question and 1,200 London households took part in our 'free thermal imaging camera campaign'.

We applied behaviour change principles to design an engagement campaign that set out to tackle barriers communities face when adopting sharing or the access economy as a new behaviour. Our campaign empowered communities to make affordable DIY energy fixes, embedding sharing as a practical, repeatable habit for Londoners.

The problem

In the UK, millions of us live in draughty houses that are poorly insulated. On average around £400 is spent per household on energy wastage trying to keep our homes warm. The energy crisis only compounds this unfairness - families are already stretched with an average gas bill of £1,700.

Local authorities know that those who are hit hardest in our communities are often also those that can least afford it. They’re racing to offer retrofit advice and efficiency upgrades, but waiting lists stretch years while residents pay now.

So we asked the question, what is there is something we can do with what we already have?

The solution

We already had thermal imaging cameras in our 23 neighbourhood sharing libraries across London. Last winter they weren’t booked out back-to-back - and we were asking why?!

We spotted three barriers holding people back and shaped our campaign around real community needs to overcome them.

1. Awareness: We needed to reach far more people and help them discover sharing. How could we connect with communities who would benefit most, including those we weren't already reaching?
   

2. Confidence: "Where do you even start, and what can a thermal camera do?" Energy efficiency often feels technical and out of reach, so we wanted to support communities to share, learn together and feel empowered to take action themselves.
   

3. Cost: With so many households squeezed by cost-of-living pressures, price is a real barrier. If we could make borrowing the camera free, would that remove the initial barrier that prevents people from taking action at all?

What shifted behaviour?

• Free access broke cost barriers: We partnered with 17 local authorities to make the cameras free to borrow over winter.

  
  

• Neighbourhood sharing libraries made access convenient: The cameras could be collected from our libraries which are on the high street people visit as part of their everyday routines.

  
  

• Guides and advice clinics built confidence: Simple how-to resources and community-run energy advice clinics run by our partners Greener Cleaner Bromley made it easier for communities to learn together.

  
  

• Media amplified the story: As energy bills hit the headlines, BBC London News and ITV News shared the campaign – reaching communities at scale in couple of days.

Watch our BBC London New feature 👀

https://youtu.be/7eW5ke3Kc0g

What future possibilities are emerging?

This goes further than energy savings alone. The campaign offers a replicable model that local authorities can embed to support communities with cost-of-living pressures with minimal budgets, all while growing the adoption of sharing and circular behaviours.

What next?

We’d love to work with our local authority partners to grow the impact of this campaign next year - reaching more households, embedding knowledge sharing and advice into our communities and empowering more circular behaviours.

What opportunities do you see for your communities? Get in touch if you'd like to learn more about our approach to community engagement and campaign design to encourage circular behaviours.