Infrared Imaging as a Diagnostic Home Energy Efficiency Tool
Winter is the optimum time for insulation and ventilation experts to conduct diagnostic testing to determine if areas throughout your home need attention. One of the best testing methods is infrared imaging which can showcase temperature differences between the indoors and outdoors. In the winter months, infrared imaging works particularly well because the home’s interior is so much warmer than the outdoors. Common areas that insulation experts check with infrared imaging include doors, windows, roofs, and attics. Infrared guns read exact surface temperatures and allow insulation experts to understand where air is moving in walls, which window needs to be replaced, and if doors are leaking energy. Below, are four examples of what home issues infrared imaging can highlight.
Area #1-Doors
In many cases infrared imaging is able to show that a door is not properly adjusted and is allowing cold air to enter the house. Many homeowners do not understand that their home’s front doors have adjustable hinges. As a home moves throughout the year, the hinges can be adjusted to provide a tighter seal. Homeowners can take comfort in the fact that if a new front door is needed, one can be installed year-round.
See How Infrared Imaging Works:
Area #2-Can Lights
From an energy efficiency standpoint, new LED can lights are a win because they are self-sealed. However, if you have can lights that are more than 10-years-old, it’s highly probable that they are creating a lot of heat in your attic and they are allowing a lot of the heat inside your house to escape up through them. Light boxes can be placed over the top of them and then sealed to improve a home’s energy efficiency and lower a home’s energy costs.
Area #3-Roofing
Using FLIR imaging, we’re able to identify hot spots (notated by the bright colors) on the home’s roof. Equally as concerning were the cold spots on the roof edge (notated by the darker colors).
This proves problematic because the warmer areas melt the roof snow and convert it to water. However, when the water reaches the cold roof edge, it refreezes. Over time, this leads to the formation of ice dams.
Area #4-Windows
While foggy windows are a telltale sign that window replacement is needed, homeowners cannot always pinpoint why exactly their windows are leaking air. One of the first questions our experts ask homeowners is which window they feel is the coldest in their home. Infrared imaging is so technical that it can tell if the culprit is the window’s frame or glass.
