Thermal imaging is a great tool to find places in your home where there may be air leaks, as well as missing and ineffective insulation. York Home Performance uses a specialized infrared camera in conjunction with a blower door test to conduct thermal imaging in your home.
How Does Thermal Imaging Work?
The energy auditors at York Home Performance are trained to use a specialized infrared camera to “see” air leaks and missing insulation behind your walls. When the blower door testing has reached the right negative air pressure, we’ll use the infrared camera to map out leaks in your home. Infrared technology senses and records the differences in temperature in walls, ceilings, floors, and around windows and doors. The infrared images will show hotter areas in reds, yellows and oranges, and cold areas in blues and purples.
Changes in Air Temperature Mark the Spot!
So here’s how we use this technology: the blower door lowers the inside air pressure so that outside air seeps into the space between the sheetrock and the outside of the wall. The outside air—whether it’s warmer or cooler—will be visible behind the surface of walls by their infrared temperature signature. The infrared camera can identify these changes in temperature, even if it’s just a small amount. The result is a colorful map of your home’s envelope that we can use to guide us.
What Will We See?
This thermal imaging map will show a wide range of information of home heat loss. Images of your walls may show the outlines of studs and where insulation may have fallen or shifted. In your ceiling, you may note halos of color around light fixtures and ceiling fans, or where attic insulation is damaged or ineffective. Each of these differences in color will identify locations where we’ll need to apply air sealing and insulation.
Follow-Up Thermal Imaging to Check Work
Once we’ve completed your energy upgrades, we’ll return with the blower door and thermal imaging infrared camera to ensure we’ve addressed all the areas identified in the first energy audit. Often a second blower door test and imaging are needed to qualify for certain utility rebates.