Energy Audits

With the dramatic increase in energy prices, many owners are becoming more concerned with the efficiency of their buildings. Building Diagnostics Group can perform an energy audit that will identify heat loss and improper/inadequate insulation installation. Infrared thermography is an efficient tool to evaluate heat loss in a large building. Many residential and commercial builders are now using thermography to achieve HERS ratings new homes and buildings.

Residential Energy Surveys

A home efficiency survey can be used to verify problems caused by poor design, faulty workmanship, or material failure. This is the ideal inspection to conduct immediately after completion of construction while the home or building is still under warranty with your builder or developer.

Infrared Thermography provides a unique opportunity to assess the energy efficiency of the normal residential structure and HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) systems. In making these assessments, care must be given not only to insulation and infiltration issues, but also to the interactional relationships between the building envelope and the mechanical air distribution parts of the HVAC system. If these interactions are not balanced and in harmony, energy efficiency suffers, and so does the indoor air quality of the dwelling, causing excessive energy usage and potentially aggravating some health issues.

Infrared scanning makes finding these problem areas much easier. Combined with digital photography, it can greatly enhance the consumer’s understanding of just what the problem is and how to go about having it repaired. It also enhances the consumer’s ability to deal with the contractors that may be performing the repair work.
 

Commercial Energy Audits

An infrared energy survey allows you to actually "see" energy loss patterns in your building. High-resolution thermal imaging equipment and our experience enable us to detect heat escaping around windows and doors, and even from the tops of buildings (the stack effect).

After our on-site inspection, infrared data is then interpreted by our thermographer, and a comprehensive report is then provided. The end result is a clear understanding of your building and exactly where heat loss is occurring. By correcting problems such as missing insulation and weatherization defects around doors and windows, energy costs can be greatly decreased.

New construction can also benefit greatly from an energy survey. Contractors can be shown exactly where problems exist and make corrections while the building is still under warranty. Recently, we performed an inspection on a new upscale mixed use condominium complex in Austin, TX. During our routine inspection we found that 60% of the 4th top/floor (over 40 thousand SF) did not have any attic insulation. This building had all ready received its final inspection and Certification of Occupancy. Obviously, this was an oversight at many different levels, but our findings prompted an immediate response from the developer/builder to rectify the deficiency.

The use of infrared thermal imaging cameras makes it easier to positively pinpoint problems in these areas instead of just making educated guesses. It also allows us to communicate these findings with greater understanding to you, the homeowner, instead of just “speaking another language.” As one client put it, “This lets my eyes make sense of what my ears are hearing.”

Contact Building Diagnostics Group today to schedule your next energy savings inspection.