
Embrace cosy season - without the cost. This winter, borrow a thermal imaging camera from your local Library of Things without the usual fee
This winter, we're helping you embrace cosy season - without the cost. Between November and December, you can borrow a thermal imaging camera from your local Library of Things for free.
Why? Because we know energy bills are high, and finding affordable ways to make your home more energy efficient can feel overwhelming. Thermal cameras are a brilliant, simple way to spot exactly where your heat is escaping — whether that’s through draughty windows, uninsulated floors, or leaky doors.
Our thermal cameras are normally £15 a day to rent, but this winter, we're making them free to borrow thanks to support from our local authority partners across London including, Brent, Greener and Cleaner Bromley, Hackney, Hammersmith, Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond, Southwark, Sutton, Wandsworth and Westminster Councils, among others.
It’s a clever gadget that shows you where your home is losing heat by displaying temperature differences as colours on a screen. Blue patches? That’s where heat is escaping. Red spots? That’s your cosy zone. We stock the FLIR thermal camera - one of the best hand-held models, which costs over £300 to buy new. It can even help with water leak detection!
Use it to:
Thousands of residents have already used Library of Things’ thermal cameras to uncover hidden draughts and save hundreds on bills.
Helen from South London borrowed one last winter:
We were able to identify where we were losing heat and have since insulated under our floorboards and added reflective bubble wrap behind radiators. Even those small changes made our home noticeably warmer and cut our bills.
Helen, Morden.
More than 30,000 Londoners have already saved over £10 million by accessing useful household tools from Library of Things network of lockers instead of buying them. That adds up to almost 500 tonnes of waste, enough to fill 100 rubbish trucks.
While you’re borrowing the thermal camera, why not pick up a few other useful items? You can also affordably rent:
Find your nearest Library of Things and reserve your free camera today.
👉 Find a thermal camera near me Use the code WINTERREADY15 at the check out.
Your booking will be discounted by £15, the equivalent of an over-night hire with the thermal imaging camera.
This offer can only be applied on bookings with a thermal imaging camera and is limited to one over-night hire per household.
Reserve before 31/12/25 to access the offer (but collections can take place after this date).
The offer is valid until 31/12/25 or until the funding is used up. Help us spread the word by sharing this campaign with your neighbours, colleagues, community groups, or local press contacts – and let’s make this winter warmer for everyone.
Reach out to Kyra at hello@libraryofthings.co.uk if you have any questions
*New to Library of Things? We charge a one-off £2.50 membership fee when you make your first booking. For less than the price of a coffee, this gives you access to 21 London locations and helps support those accessing our no-questions-asked concession rate.
A heat loss survey would have costed thousands so we did it ourselves: on a cold evening we had the heating on full and walked around the house looking for cold spots. We found some problem areas where we think the loft insulation is lacking, and some walls that require special attention. So all in all it’s been extremely useful.
Ambra, Ealing.
Here are three top tips to help you get started. Check out our online guide to the thermal imaging camera for more in depth advice, trouble shooting and even a handy YouTube tutorial.
You’ve done your survey, spotted the chilly corners, and collected your readings, now what? Across London, there are brilliant energy-savvy groups ready to help you take the next steps. They can advise on simple ways to make your home warmer, greener and cheaper to run — from improving insulation to reducing energy use and lowering your bills. Here are just a few:
Power Rangers, Think & Do Camden, Camden LSBU Energy Advice Centre, Southwark Greener & Cleaner Energy Champions, Bromley South East London Community Energy, Greenwich Hackney Energy Advice Team, Hackney Ready to get winter-ready? Check out what else you can rent to get your home ready for cosy season.
This thing helped me identify cold and warm spots in our home, with some unexpected surprises. It's really useful to be able to do this so easily and at a low cost.
Richard, Kentish Town.