Insulation is now at the top of the list of the recommended upgraders homeowners should make to their properties.  It seems to us that it should have topped the list for several years now, but we are happy to see that it is there now.

Building owners – residential and commercial – closely watch their utility bills.  After all, whether it is coming out of a business’ bottom line or impacting the personal financial status of a homeowner, utilities can be a very damaging expense.  Heating and cooling systems, particularly those that are not operating properly, can cost a property owner a great deal each year.  But, when those bills are high, the problem isn’t the actual system, but rather the way the building was put together.

A lack of insulation, or too little installed, can cause for serious problems and a drastic increase in utility bills. In some cases an inspection of the building’s envelope is the first place an owner should look when suffering from high utility bills.

A simple method of investigating thermal barrier issues is to perform thermal scans of the building, and the Optris PI thermal imager with USB 2.0 is an inexpensive tool to be used for this purpose.  It provides a quick way to see where issues like thermal bridging, water intrusion, and window barrier exist in the home. All of these problems can be identified visually, but can also be better understood with a thermal imager.

Thermal Bridging This is usually caused by improper insulation, and by not properly installing thermal barriers. In other words the warm air is allowed to leave or to infiltrate an area more easily, because of improper insulation. With the Optis PI thermal imager, drafty walls, leaky windows, cold walls will be efficiently detected.  With USB capabilities, reports can be created, printed, and shared, so the property owner can make educated decisions regarding the need for- and the placement of new insulation.