What is Thermal Imaging?
Thermal imaging lets you view infrared (IR) energy not visible to the naked eye. IR energy is basically "heat" that radiates off an object - be a person, a wall or even a cold drink. The warmer an object is, the more IR energy is given off. An infrared thermography camera can capture an image of the invisible IR energy given off by an object and shows the differences in temperature within an object and between different objects. Warm areas appear as red, yellow and white in the thermal image, while colder areas show up as purple to black.
Thermal Imaging is Useful to a Homeowner
Defects in the energy efficiency of your home due to small gaps and leaks in the structure, as well as areas with missing or improperly installed insulation, can be detected using thermal imaging. Air flowing through small gaps in the structure changes the temperature around the location of the gap, and this temperature difference can be clearly seen in the thermal image.
Like many homes, this mid 1990s home has a Great Room with a cathedral ceiling. The top of the wall in this photo has attic space behind it, creating what is known as a knee wall. If constructed properly, knee walls are completely insulated and have a complete air barrier behind them so that the air from the attic cannot get into the insulation and reduce its effectiveness.
Here is that wall, only a few minutes later on that very warm summer day. Clearly, the hot air of the attic is not being held at bay by the knee wall. Think about how much heat loss this represents in the winter as the air from the Great Room flows into the attic!
Note that when we checked in the attic, the knee wall did not have an air barrier on the attic side and the blown in cellulose insulation had fallen away over the years! Now that the homeowners could "see" the problem, they could have it fixed easily.