The Problem

District heat networks are buried, branching systems spread across large urban areas, and monitoring them at scale is a genuine operational challenge. For Bring Energy, identifying the source and extent of water loss across the Stratford District Heat Network required a survey approach that could cover ground quickly, deliver precise findings, and support faster engineering decisions. The network holds approximately 2 million litres of water, and the Stratford section alone was registering losses of 20-30 tonnes per day.

Traditional ground-based investigation wasn't going toprovide answers at the speed the work demanded. It's slow, disruptive, andrarely narrows the problem down far enough to send engineers directly to theright location first time.

The Solution

Bring Energy appointed StirlingX to conduct drone-based thermal surveys across the Stratford network. Thermal imaging was deployed to detect heat loss and pinpoint leakage along the buried infrastructure. Imagery was processed into a thermal orthomap with geo-located anomaly reporting delivered via Drone Systems' Teraplan platform, giving the client's engineering team direct, structured access to findings without waiting on lengthy reporting cycles.

Rather than handing over raw files, StirlingX analysed the imagery in-house and produced geo-located findings, so engineers received actionable locations from the outset.

The Outcomes

• Three Category B leaks were identified across the Stratford network, including one potentially linked to underground train infrastructure.
• Two findings were flagged as early indicators of developing faults, caught before escalating into confirmed failures, demonstrating the value of proactive monitoring over reactive response.
• The survey validated the client's internal approach to splitting and isolating the network for investigation, providing external confirmation of an operational decision already in progress.
• The client described the findings as "really good," noting that early detection of this kind was exactly the value they were looking for, and that "this survey pays it back straight away if there is a problem."