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Energy Assessment: New house thermal imaging video nightmare

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJan 12th 2014
     
    http://youtu.be/Xab5Lvfs4qM

    If you are squeamish about horror stories dont watch any of this, I skimmed it a bit but have written GBM article along similar lines.
    • CommentAuthordereke
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2014
     
    That is some truly horrid viewing!

    Any idea what a survey like that costs?
    • CommentAuthorcar-mark
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2014
     
    Hi there

    Thanks for that link, very informative, as "dereke" asks how much and or what was the wonderful equipment being used.

    mark
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2014
     
    I have just been pointing my cheap (lidl) IR thermometer around my ceiling and can't find any evidence of cold joists either downstairs or upstairs, though it is 5°C cooler upstairs (no heating there). But then I have a low thermal mass, reasonably well insulated and probably more airtight that most homes. No bricks or blocks here to sap the heat away.:wink:

    May try to get a webcam to view the IR thermometer display and make my own video of a cheap alternative.
    • CommentAuthordereke
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2014
     
    @SteamyTea make sure you get a cross hair in there. The video will be nothing without a cross hair! :bigsmile:
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2014
     
    I make my own with my two thumbs when driving, also have a two finger pistol for speed cameras (though find a spay paint on the lens more effective), that should be good enough.:cool:
  7.  
    Interesting but you have to be careful on corners as these show up as falsely lower in temp due to lack of convection currents.
    Also be careful to match emissivity and be aware of moisture content on the windows.
    Notice how you can 'calibrate' on the body heat as human skin is close to 0.95 emissivity. When he says calibrate he of course means setting the temperature span.
    I would say with my camera I could whack one of these reports out in 30-45 mins for £60 or as I said I'm toying with renting out the camera. You'd only need a bunch of jpegs per room and associated notes.
    Interpreting these images is never straightforward and anyone who states there is an exact cause and fix for anything you see, or even if it is a problem, is being over confident.
    What's harder is quantifying the cost/benefit of any remedial work. Clearly it costs a good amount to rectify open to loft dotndab, leaky window cavity closers etc. Perhaps less so for draught sealing loft hatches.
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2014
     
    The tragedy is that this is what "we" are building in the C21

    SAD
  9.  
    Also the thing about the flir and other proper cameras is they capture a radiometric image. this means the exact temp for any of the pixels can be read from the image on the pc. no need to wave it around so much :)
    • CommentAuthorhairydude
    • CommentTimeJan 17th 2014
     
    Spencer, was it yourself who said in a previous thread that the flir cameras can be hacked to utilise full resolution capabilities? I have a Flir E6 and would be interested in this hack.

    I find the camera invaluable for my surveys, although I would agree with you that it could be dangerous in the hands of someone who doesnt understand construction methods and building pathology - all too easy to misdiagnose a hot/cold spot.

    Re cost, I dont charge extra for using it in my general surveys as I view it as a contributory tool, same as my camera, ladders, etc. I know that firms who only offer this charge around £500 for an IR survey of small commercial properties so would imagine they are charging around £300 for a house.

    I used mine while snagging a new house this month and within 5mins found two areas of missing insulation, 1 roof leak and various air leaks at doors (the hot air spewing out of the cills indicating inadequate seals and was lit up like a flare)
    • CommentAuthorJonti
    • CommentTimeJan 17th 2014
     
    Kind of shows the quality of much of our building trade:cry:

    Jonti
    • CommentAuthorRobL
    • CommentTimeJan 17th 2014
     
    The Irish publication, Passive house+, makes an interesting observation of Irish houses airtightness - probably relevant to the UK too:

    "...2435 homes built subject to the 2007 part L Building regs.... legally required to have airtightness tests done... primary energy demand was 87.5KWh. A further 4189 homes which were subject to the same regs, yet failed to have airtightness tests done... Their average demand came in at 135.8KWh/m^2/yr"

    I'd assume that to mean all new homes are very leaky unless they are air-tested & improved. And the leakiness significantly impacts on the heating bill.

    They also have a graph showing house build date versus air leakage- and almost without exception the older the house, the better it performed ! Just weird.
    • CommentAuthorJonti
    • CommentTimeJan 17th 2014
     
    RobL,

    the problem with many of the larger builders is that the BCO comes and checks the first house ticks it off if it is okay then goes with the assumption that all other houses will be identical. The buildering company builds the rest as fast as they can.

    Jonti
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJan 17th 2014
     
    Posted By: RobLThey also have a graph showing house build date versus air leakage- and almost without exception the older the house, the better it performed
    That is weird
  15.  
    Posted By: RobLThe Irish publication, Passive house+, makes an interesting observation of Irish houses airtightness - probably relevant to the UK too:
    ...
    They also have a graph showing house build date versus air leakage- and almost without exception the older the house, the better it performed ! Just weird.


    In the Greater Dublin area, to my mind older implies a 215 thick wall wet plastered internally, either red brick or rendered concrete block, and in some cases mass concrete. Newer (80s on?? not sure) implies cavity wall and dot-and-dab plasterboard with the consequent air tightness weaknesses.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeJan 17th 2014
     
    Posted By: SteamyTea
    Posted By: RobLThey also have a graph showing house build date versus air leakage- and almost without exception the older the house, the better it performed
    That is weird

    The occupiers have gone round over the years adding draught strips, painting or papering over cracks, stuffing newspaper in the crack under the door etc etc

    Just a thought.

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