Bought a thermal imager to perform heat loss audit of my home

YuriyLogvin · 02-04-22, 11:43 AM

Hi all, recently I bought myself a thermal imager, and just wanted to share how I used it to determine places where in my home significant heat loss happens.
Found out that I completely forgot to insulate my door frame from outside, silly me

If you live in cold areas, I recommend doing such heat loss analysis at least once for your house. This kind of energy audit will definitely save you some money in the long run.
P.S. English captions available

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCikDaFPBuU

dguzzi · 02-06-22, 07:37 PM

How would/could you insulate the door from the outside?

I think I understand..a storm door. It is very interesting that you were able to buy a thermal imager. Its very expensive in the US, maybe better to have a service perform that.

YuriyLogvin · 02-07-22, 07:23 AM

I somehow forgot to apply the foam between the door frame and a wall from outside the balcony. Yeah, the device is not cheap, but very useful, probably it's better to rent it or order a service in the US.
I now know certain areas in my house where I need to do a better job with insulation.
I even scanned the attic. I have a vapor barrier, foam 15-20 cm, sawdust 20 cm, so everything looks pretty good there.

GnomeDome · 07-31-22, 04:28 AM

fun toy to have... but expensive

Daox · 08-02-22, 09:36 AM

Their prices have really come down in the recent years. You can get a FLIR ONE thermal camera that plugs into your smart phone for just over $200 new. If you have an inefficient house or have a business use case for it that could pay for itself pretty quickly.

02-07-22, 07:23 AM	#3
YuriyLogvin Lurking Renovator Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Ukraine Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 18 Times in 6 Posts	I somehow forgot to apply the foam between the door frame and a wall from outside the balcony. Yeah, the device is not cheap, but very useful, probably it's better to rent it or order a service in the US. I now know certain areas in my house where I need to do a better job with insulation. I even scanned the attic. I have a vapor barrier, foam 15-20 cm, sawdust 20 cm, so everything looks pretty good there. __________________ Software developer, EV conversion enthusiast, building DIY heat pumps.

08-02-22, 09:36 AM	#5
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Their prices have really come down in the recent years. You can get a FLIR ONE thermal camera that plugs into your smart phone for just over $200 new. If you have an inefficient house or have a business use case for it that could pay for itself pretty quickly. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-06-22, 07:37 PM	#2
dguzzi Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Michigan Posts: 68 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	How would/could you insulate the door from the outside? I think I understand..a storm door. It is very interesting that you were able to buy a thermal imager. Its very expensive in the US, maybe better to have a service perform that.

07-31-22, 04:28 AM	#4
GnomeDome Lurking Renovator Join Date: May 2022 Location: USA Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	fun toy to have... but expensive