Could a thermal camera reveal your hidden heat loss?

It is like seeing X-rays-for heat loss. Last year, web engineer Jimmy Matthews bought a thermal camera. His house, in southeastern England, was about to give up some of his secrets.

Soon the colored images on the small screen of the device revealed how to leave a top opening.

“This was really clear on the camera,” he says, explaining that he could see cold areas on the hole, as the heat apparently escaped.

Mr. Matthews, who runs a software company that provides the clean technology industry, has also found some other small gaps in the outer walls and parts of its roof that were less isolated than others.

“It is a good fun and certainly things may not be immediately clear,” he says.

While Mr. Matthews was able to get to know some areas himself, he says that he would take a more systematic approach if he planned any major changes in his home. The web engineer later conducted a professional survey of the heat loss that was conducted when he installed a heat pump, for example.

This approach is reasonable, according to the construction of physicist researchers who spoke to the BBC. There are signs that thermal cameras have become more popular, as homeowners seek to reduce heating bills and carbon emissions. Increasing local councils Allow the residents To borrow the devices for free, for example.

But there is no alternative to professional advice if you are planning great work or interventions, experts say.

Thermal cameras Work with a sensor To detect infrared light, which we cannot see, but we can sometimes feel heat. These devices are not cheap. Mr. Matthews spent approximately 160 pounds on, although organizations including local councils and octopus energy supplier, prepare them for people for free so that they can obtain a basic understanding of heat loss in their homes.

The Wilesheer Council recently provided 11 borrowing devices from local libraries, as well as a brief guide on how to use them. “The Council is now a waiting list for interested residents.

“Experts advice, along with a coastal approach to heat photography results, will give residents the best opportunity to make enlightened decisions on energy-saving home improvements,” says Cllr Blair-Plillling says.

He adds that small interventions can help people keep their homes warm and reduce the risk of cold -related health conditions.

However, Joe Atkinson, the chief consultant in buildings in carbon removal in energy systems, a research organization, is concerned about the availability of increasing thermal cameras: “In my opinion, the risks are very large to make wrong options.”

She says it is possible to misrepresent the interpretation of the thermal camera, noting that if the wall is heated by the sun, the image of this captured wall can make it look as if the heat escapes, when it is not. Reflective surfaces can also appear misleading, for heat leakage.

While using the thermal camera as a starting point for understanding your home is “completely good”, according to Ronita Boasthan from the University of Cambridge, it is important to ask for independent expert advice when planning any renewal work.

It can make the thermal camera images look as if some of your areas are losing a lot of heat, but this may be simply as a result of how the camera is calibrated, how the user carries and moves it around it, and any colorful color painting has been chosen for the display.

Dr. Bohamman adds that there is a risk to “anxiety update” to the homeowners.

In addition, if people continue to change their isolation, for example, such measures should be taken very carefully as an inappropriate installation It can cause wet and mold.

The North Sumer Council provides thermal cameras for residents, on loan, and this scheme is currently working on the waiting list due to its popularity. The council has Published preliminary advice On how to use cameras, including Online video.

Sustainable Energy Center (CSE), charity, It highlights more detailed evidence From the National House Building Council, which describes how to use thermal cameras. However, a Cse spokeswoman adds that the organization still recommends people to advise experts.

Phil Steele, Future Technologies Evangelist in Octopus Energy, agrees to: “You have to be careful.” He explains that thermal cameras can make the corners of the rooms look very cold, but this is simply a reflection of the low blood circulation in those areas, rather than the problem of insulation.

Octopus Energy contains about 500 cameras lend to customers every winter. Last year, the company distributed the devices nearly 3800 times.

The thermal homeowners who spoke to the BBC, like Mr. Matthews, say they dealt with the pictures with caution.

Londa Green, designed in London, says she has read online training materials before using a thermal camera to search for points of heat loss in a house shortly after she and her partner move.

In her case, Miss Green rented the camera from Library of ThingsOrganization that focuses on society that provides different elements of people to borrow. The device indicated the heat loss around the windows and doors in Miss Green’s house. She and her partner managed to compare the results with the property of their isolated neighbor.

“He just confirmed what we already knew, but it was interesting to see, as you know, were there any other regions?” Explain.

Daril Taylor, in Flir, a company that makes thermal cameras, says that the audience can access some free training materials on his company’s website.

He adds that Flir aims to make thermal images clear and easy to explain as much as possible – including by combining visual images with thermal images, to add more details to the final image. It is suggested that, in the future, FLIR cameras may provide instructions and advice based on machine learning as people use devices.

Those who know the best way to explain thermal camera images can find unusual hidden problems in the building.

Dr. Bohamhan recently took a high -resolution camera at a house being thoughtful to buy. But thermal images revealed cracks in the wall, which later proved to be signs of landing.

She says, “Perhaps this was not revealed unless I entered and saw that,” she says. Dr. Bohadhan decided not to make an offer on the property.