The Benefits of Thermographic Building Inspections
When used as part of preventative diagnostics, thermal building inspections can be used to detect energy losses in both commercial and industrial buildings as well as existing historical and cultural heritage sites.
You can also use thermographic building inspections as part of your refurbishment and redevelopment projects because it allows you to analyse the performance of the existing structure that’s about to be renovated. You can then evaluate the performance of the building insulation etc. and the information can be used in the redesign of the building envelope. Thermal imaging offers a fast low impact solution to identify problems within the building envelope and/or HVAC and electrical installations.
If you’re a building contractors and/or consultant our services will be useful to you. Thermographic inspections for building diagnostics are now part of BREEAM certification requirements. Under the latest edition of the BREEAM Technical Manual (SD5076) it is possible to be awarded a BREEAM credit by conducting a thermographic survey of the building fabric. The BREEAM thermography survey is required to be completed in accordance with MAN 04 Commissioning and handover compliance notes CN3.3 and CN3.4.
Basically the BREEAM thermographic survey is required to confirm:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Continuity of insulation in accordance with the construction drawings
- Avoidance of excessive thermal bridging
- Avoidance of air leakage paths through the fabric (except through intentional openings)
-
-
-
-
-
-
Any defects identified via the post construction inspection are required to be rectified.
The BREEAM thermal survey needs be undertaken by a UKTA Approved Level 2 thermographic surveyor, all our engineers are trained to Level 3 so our reports will be acceptable to BREEAM.
Why pick APT to undertake your thermal imaging survey?
One of the most important reasons to use APT for your thermal imaging requirements is because all our thermography engineers are trained to level 3, which is the highest level you can achieve as a thermographic engineer. We also use large format thermal imaging cameras; this provides you with the absolute best chance of solving any potential issues by utilising thermographic technology. Our thermal specification includes:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Level 3 thermographic certification
- Level 3 qualified thermographers
- High quality format FLIR cameras with 45-degree lenses
-
-
-
-
-
-
The importance of using a Level 3 trained thermographers cannot be overstated as they are trained to be write predictive maintenance and inspection practices and to develop test procedures and ascertain severity criteria. To try and help clients prepare for the thermal imaging survey to their building, we have written the following article: How we carry our thermal Surveys on commercial buildings.
If you are looking commission a thermal imaging survey to secure a BREEAM credit and require estimation on the cost, please contact us on info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk for any questions and/or visit our website on www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk or download our thermal imaging checklist