Thermal Imaging Camera Hire - Home Energy Tips

The best time to use a thermal imaging camera around your home is when the temperature difference between the inside and outside air is the greatest. i.e. nearer the beginning or end of the day. For example, when your home is around 20°C and the outside temperature is below 10°C.

Remember that in thermal images, warmer areas usually appear coloured orange/yellow and cooler areas purple/black.

Move around your home (inside and out) and look for isolated warm or cool spots in, for example a section of a wall, ceiling, or floor. If there are any areas which are warmer or cooler than their surroundings, can you explain why?

An exterior door for instance will usually be a bit cooler around its edges but are there any sections that are much cooler? This could indicate gaps in the seal and the source of draughts. Same with a loft hatch.

Check any fireplaces when not in use. Is this area much cooler than the surrounding area? This is another common source of draughts in a room.

The temperature of an interior wall will usually be warmer nearer the ceiling than nearer the floor. Below skirting boards are often cooler because this is often where cooler air from below the floor is drawn into a room. Whilst one solution might be to seal any gaps below the skirting board, another solution might be to concentrate on reducing the escape of warm air from the room!

Don’t worry too much about the corners of a room as these are usually cooler because of restricted interior air flow and lower insulation.

The ceiling of a room should usually be the same temperature across. If there is a cooler area, perhaps there is some insulation missing above it.

If there is a warm spot under a floor or behind an interior wall, there may be hidden pipework in which case you may decide you can ignore it or insulating it might be an option.

Think of areas in the thermal image that appear orange/yellow as emitting heat, and areas which appear purple/black as losing heat. Even if you cannot reduce or prevent the heat loss, you might be able to make a room feel warmer by covering over a cooler area. For example, pulling curtains across a cooler window or door. Conversely, ensure you are not preventing heat from entering a room, for example, by covering radiators.

Allow heated air to circulate around a room (and stir up cooler area nearer the floor) by not pushing furniture right up to walls, especially in front of radiators.

Beware of reflections of your own body heat if pointing the thermal imaging camera out of a window!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.