BG 72/2017
Thermal Imaging of Buildings
- a pocket guide
By Colin Pearson
BG 72-2017 Thermal Imaging of Buildings Facing pages.indd 1 06/11/2017 17:38:25
Acknowledgements
This guide was designed and produced by Joanna Smith and edited by
David Bleicher.
BSRIA would like to thank the following organisations that kindly provided
images and diagrams of infrared cameras:
Flir
Testo
iRed
The guidance given in this publication is correct to the best of BSRIA’s knowledge. However BSRIA
cannot guarantee that it is free of errors. Material in this publication does not constitute any warranty,
endorsement or guarantee by BSRIA. Risk associated with the use of material from this publication is
assumed entirely by the user.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording
or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher.
© BSRIA November 2017
ISBN 978-0-86022-760-1
Printed by Charlesworth Press
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BG 72/2017
Thermal Imaging of Buildings
- a pocket guide
By Colin Pearson
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Contents
Preface v
Introduction 1
Heat loss through building fabric 4
Infrared cameras and thermography 6
Which camera? 11
Getting a good image 15
Building fabric thermography 19
Procedures for conducting surveys 26
Desktop software 28
Developments in building thermography 29
Qualifications and experience 30
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Preface
Thermal imaging is increasingly used in the construction industry to show faults in
thermal insulation, electrical installations and mechanical plant. It can also be
used to test for areas of unusual heat loss or gain and cold areas of internal surface
that might lead to discomfort, condensation and mould growth. This makes it
a useful tool for checking quality in new and existing buildings. In recent years,
the price of entry level thermal imaging cameras has dropped and the simplest
cameras are now much easier to use, so they are accessible to almost anyone
involved in checking the performance of buildings. But it is easy to make mistakes
in the interpretation of thermal images, whether they appear on the screen of an
infrared camera or in a report produced by a professional thermographer.
More detailed technical
information can be found
in BSRIA Guide BG 39/2011
Thermal Imaging of Building
fabric
THERMAL IMAGING OF BUILDINGS BG 72/2017 | v
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vi | BG 72/2017 THERMAL IMAGING OF BUILDINGS
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Introduction
This guide aims to help you get the best from thermal images. It explains what
thermal images can and can’t show, what you can do with them and how infrared
cameras work. It concentrates on how the fabric of the building helps maintain
the required temperature inside the building. It refers mainly to the use of hand-
held cameras although cameras on airborne drones are also mentioned. Finally,
it highlights some trends that will affect the future of building thermography.
Thermal imaging can show heat loss from buildings and cold surfaces that
might cause discomfort to occupants and increased energy use. An infrared
thermal image is a picture made up of an array of thousands of temperature
measurements in the camera field of view shown on a scale of colours or
greyscales. Thermal imaging relies on infrared energy that is produced in varying
amounts by everything, depending on temperature.
You need to take care to enter the correct settings into the camera to get
accurate results. When you use infrared thermal images to assess the temperatures
of objects this is called thermography. Thermography is a term often used in place
of thermal imaging, but it relates more to analysis of thermal images.
THERMAL IMAGING OF BUILDINGS BG 72/2017 | 1
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