Thermographic Imaging

Infrared Thermographic photography is a way to visualise the heat energy on any given surface. It is essentially a heat map camera that displays temperatures as colours so you can visualise relative temperatures. If you are concerned with heat loss in buildings or locating draughts, then thermography is a helpful analysis tool.

Examples of a bay window lid, Victorian front door, double glazed window.

The camera does not 'see through' things, but it can detect what is happening behind a surface due to the way that energy is flowing to the face of that surface. For example, a thermographic image can pick out the vertical studs in a wall or rafters in a roof construction due to the effect that these members are having on the internal surface temperature.

Typically, in buildings the heat loss is exaggerated at any junctions, edges and openings. These are described as thermal bridges AKA localised areas where the heat is allowed to flow more easily from warm to cold. IR cameras are a great tool for building professionals to diagnose cold bridges in existing buildings and find solutions for homeowners or building managers.

Thermal imaging can therefore be hugely effective at analysing a property, communicating with clients, addressing problems without intrusive works and finding the root causes of heat losses in the building fabric. One couple I worked with were so enamoured with the process they insisted on a ‘thermal imaging selfie’, to determine who was the hottest. With this wonderful technology at my fingertips, I was happy to oblige.

Technology has made these cameras (or camera attachments to smartphones) an affordable addition to the utility belt of a building surveyor or retrofit consultant.

Follow the link to the full article, explaining how thermal imaging can be used plus some typical examples of heat loss detected using this method, alongside solutions straight out of the Detail Library catalogue.