Cost Avoidance/Energy Savings for IR Thermography

"Has anyone documented Cost Avoidance Or Potential energy savings using Thermography. Ex. Downtime, Labor, Materials. I would be interested in understanding how you determined final cost or energy savings."

This is the $64,000 question, how to justify the cost and benefits of an IR program. The methods used vary depending on your situation, what downtime costs in your facility, overtime and rush ordering to get new parts, lost production cost, your energy cost, etc.

I have selected several white papers that illustrate how different organizations have calculated their costs. Use them as examples of what can be done, and how they are presented.

Use this link to download the files.

Blower Door Inspection for Air Infiltration in a Remodeled Cottage

By Tom Coffey, Infrared Training Center 

A small cottage (700 sq. ft) outside of Knoxville, TN was completely remodeled from January to March 2010. It was an existing cinder block structure with no insulation except ½ inch of airspace between the nailers and the block wall as well as the empty block core. The R value of existing building walls was approximately 2.97. After the remodel an R-value was calculated and determined to be 12.6

2 x 4 studs were used to build the interior walls the insulated with 4” of backed fiberglass bat insulation. Old windows were removed and new double pane sash type windows installed during the remodel.

The house was depressurized to approximately 50 Pascal and allowed to equalize for 30 minutes. A thermographic scan was performed after the equalization period. Infiltration was found around the sash windows where the top and bottom pieces join in the corners of the windows.

There was some expected infiltration around the front door which was missing a sweep on the bottom of the door. Also infiltration was found at the attic access.

All of these small problems are easily correctable and will be done as time permits.

The installation of the blower door took approximately 30-45 minutes. Reaching the right depressurization took another 30 minutes and the IR scan took another 45 minutes. For a house this size, allowing for the small footprint I did not do an air exchange calculation. The purpose of this exercise was to determine if the house remodel and adding insulation was sufficient to keep the house at a comfortable level during East Tennessee summers and winters. It was determined during the remodel process that R-13 insulation in the walls and R-19 insulation in the ceilings would be sufficient for the weather conditions in this area of the country.

Building Thermal Envelope Commissioning - Free White Paper

This application paper, written by ITC instructor Bill Schwahn, was originally presented as part of the proceedings at ITC’s 2015 InfraMation Conference. It discusses the process of using thermal imaging to determine the air tightness of a structure so that it meets the requirements of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code for Commercial and Residential Structures.

Click Here to Download

InfraMation 2016 will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio Hotel and Casino on September 27-29, 2016. The event will also include a pre-conference training day on Monday, September 26. Save the date and plan to join hundreds of other thermography professionals where you’ll learn the latest thermal imaging techniques and applications while making valuable connections! If you’re not sure what to expect, here’s just some of the great content and entertainment that attendees experienced at InfraMation 2015 in Nashville.

Warm Feet, Cold Reality

Matt Schwoegler, Infrared Training Center

It can take being uncomfortable for some homeowners to really start thinking about the efficiency of their house. Certainly, the bill from the electric company or that propane truck *once again* backing into the driveway all serve as painful reminders that your home uses (too much) energy. However, when air leakage across the floor leaves you with cold feet, or you find yourself always shivering from a draft on a windy day, it starts to get old...fast. Experiences like this can help motivate one to consider putting energy efficiency improvements on the fast track.

This assumes, of course, that the occupants are *feeling* cold in the first place. How about when it might not be as obvious, such as the case here? Sometimes thermal imaging can help a homeowner understand why what they are experiencing (feeling) is very different from what is actually happening.

These infrared images (above) were taken near the rim joist in the basement of a contemporary-style home built in 1984.  The residence has wood floors, fiberglass insulation and, not surprisingly, a decent amount of air leakage (3550 CFM 50).

As expected, one of the larger areas of air infiltration in the structure is located around the rim joist. What you will notice too is that the home also has a radiant floor heating system (images below):