Detecting heat loss from houses in winter by thermal imaging cameras

Problem

Insulation plays an important role by reducing heat loss through the building elements and consequently reducing the burning of natural resources, such as gas and coal for electricity generation. The effectiveness of insulation depends on the climate, insulation type, and material used. In warm regions, cooling is the central focus during summer, whereas heating in winter is the major concern in cold climatic regions.

Winter is well upon us and the heating has been turned on. But how much of this heat keeps us warm, and how much is escaping from the poorly insulated house?

Usually, newer houses hold their heat more efficiently due to modern insulation and double-glazing, however, the image below shows how much heat is lost through the large feature windows of a modern flat.

Ice dam due to improper insulation

Solution

If the air is cold enough outside and a leak by a door or window is large enough, you can easily feel the air leak with your hand, however, it is not feasible with problems hidden inside a wall or ceiling inducing an additional 10~20% total home energy loss. Thermal imagers are especially adept at detecting places of missing or removed insulation around the window, door, and ceiling. An energy inspection only takes a few minutes to scan the home with a thermal imager and then simple repairs around the home can be done to improve energy efficiency, saving homeowners a great deal of money every winter, year after year. It is a win-win option for homeowners and contractors alike without the need for significant investments or thermography expertise.

The right thermal imager for quick home energy inspections

Indoor-conditioned warm air loss in the roof, door, and window usually produces minute temperature differences that require a thermal imager with excellent resolution and thermal sensitivity. FOTRIC 340 series advanced thermal imagers meet all building inspection conditions based on their brilliant sensitivity of 0.04°C and resolution up to 640*480. Moreover, they have an easy-to-use auto-focus with a detection range of -20° to 1550°C for fast measurement in both winter and summer and offer four interchangeable lenses from wide-angle 44°×34° to ultra-telephoto 7°×5° to obtain temperature details of larger areas or from a distance.

FOTRIC 348A

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Applications

Ideally, homeowners hope to have potential home energy inefficiencies identified and fixed before the weather gets cold. However, thermal imagers are easier to locate places with hot air escaping around doors, windows, attics, and anywhere wires and cables enter the home when there is a significant difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures. Simply sealing gaps within these issue areas can save the homeowner up to 20% annually on energy bills each year.

Heat loss around the wall and ceiling due to poor insulation

Heat loss around the window

Besides, weather stripping around windows and doors is often a potential source of cold-air leaks where check and remedy are more required. When it gets cold outside, stripping materials tend to shrink. Having the ability to check those spots, especially on an unusually chilly day in the fall, can help uncover what windows and doors need before the coldest days arrive, e.g. new sealing materials.

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About FOTRIC, Inc.

Founded in 2011, FOTRIC is a listed innovation-driven thermography manufacturer focusing on intelligent sensing solutions to defect detection, fire detection, condition monitoring for manufacturing, chemical processing, metallurgy, storage of coal, Li-ion batteries, and waste, electric utilities, oil & gas, buildings, and R&D in over 50 countries. FOTRIC’s vision is to provide more granular data for professionals to make more informed decisions to save more lives and livelihoods.