BREEAM Thermal Imaging Surveys

A thermographic survey involves imaging the external envelope of the building with a view to confirming:

• Continuity of insulation is in accordance with the construction drawings.
• Avoidance of excessive thermal bridging.
• Avoidance of air leakage paths through the fabric (except through intentional openings).

As an infra-red thermographic measurement works on temperature differential, it is possible to assess the performance of the insulation. In order to correctly carry out this thermographic assessment, it is necessary to achieve a 10ºC differential in temperature between internal (heated) and external (ambient) – or the inside and outside of the building envelope. When you are facing the external of a building envelope with the thermal camera it should be possible to view escaping heat through poorly insulated walls or badly sealed windows as elevated temperatures. Likewise, if viewing the same envelope internally, these same areas will show up as areas of lower temperature.

The BREEAM thermal survey to will assess the integrity of the building fabric to assist in diagnosing suspected problems with the building fabric or comfort levels. Where there are suspected problems with the building fabric such as moisture ingress, condensation and mould growth or where there is the perception that the thermal efficiency isn’t what it should be, the use of thermography can provide excellent visual and quantitative evidence of the causes of the suspected problems.

The survey will also demonstrate compliance with the construction specification on newly constructed buildings in-line with Building Regulations Part L and sustainability assessments such as BREEAM. A large number of Building Specifications are including a thermographic survey into the schedule of works as a means of quality assurance and to achieve the required sustainability rating.

Thermal surveys can also identify potential improvements to reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions on existing buildings, thermography surveys can be used to assess the overall performance of the individual building fabric elements such that informed decisions can be made on improving energy efficiency. If required we can also undertake an in depth analysis, to estimate the potential cost and CO2 reductions if particular improvements are undertaken.

Where anomalies are identified during the thermographic inspection, then our highly experienced buildings surveyors will carry out an initial investigation as to the suspected cause. We will highlight the issues within our report and provide as much help as possible in identifying remedial work required to gain a credit for a BREEAM compliance thermographic survey.

BREEAM Thermal surveys are completely non-invasive and non-destructive meaning that the building suffers no mechanical or physical damage at all.

If you require a BREEAM Thermal Imaging Survey our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

This new BREEAM technical guide describes an environmental performance standard against which new, non-domestic buildings in the UK can be assessed, rated and certified. It grants 1 BREEAM credit for a BREEAM thermographic survey in London as part of Man 01 Sustainable Procurement and states the following:1. The main contractor accounts for a thermographic survey within the project budget and programme of works.

2. Once construction is complete a thermographic survey of the building fabric is undertaken in accordance with the appropriate standard and by a professional holding a valid Level 2 certificate in thermography.

3. The survey confirms:

• Continuity of insulation in accordance with the construction drawing
• Avoidance of excessive thermal bridging
• Avoidance of air leakage paths through the fabric (except through intentional openings)
• Any defects identified via the post construction inspections are rectified

BREEAM new construction scheme describes an environmental performance standard against which new, non-domestic buildings in the UK can be assessed and achieve a BREEAM New Construction rating. Of the 4 credits available in Man 04 Commissioning and Handover, 1 BREEAM credit is available for Testing and Inspecting Building Fabric through post construction testing and inspection. The integrity of the building fabric is accessed and assured through the undertaking of a thermographic survey as well as an airtightness test, Air pressure Testing has engineers that are hold Level 3 certification and we are UKAS accredited for Air Tightness Testing.

If you require a BREEAM Thermal survey or UKAS accredited air tightness testing our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

To achieve effective results from a thermographic inspection for BREEAM compliance it is important to consider the environmental conditions present at the time of the survey. As a minimum, the following conditions should be complied with:

• A temperature differential between internal and external areas of the building/s of at least 10°C must be created.
• Ensure all heating systems within the building are operational.
• Ensure the external building envelope is free from direct solar radiation for at least four hours.
• No precipitation either just prior to or during the survey.
• Building surfaces to be inspected are dry at the time of the survey.
• Average wind speed to be less than 10 mph.

As well as potential problems with temperature, there are other environmental conditions that should also be taken into account when planning a thermographic building survey. Thermal surveys may be influenced by radiation emissions and reflections from adjacent buildings or a cold clear sky, and even more significantly the influence the sun may have on surface temperatures via solar loading, that’s why many BREAAM thermal surveys are undertaken in the morning just before sunrise.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require a BREEAM Thermal survey our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

All we need are a few details such as floor plans and elevation drawings and the building location to provide a quotation. We will also send across our informative checklist to help you prepare for the thermal survey.

Infrared Thermography is a type of photography which is based on infrared wavelengths, rather than visible wavelengths. Conventional photography relies on reflected energy from a light source, whether it’s artificial lighting or the sun, which is visible to our eyes. Thermal imaging relies on radiated energy in the infrared (IR) spectrum which cannot be seen by our eyes.All objects emit radiation energy within the IR spectrum and this IR radiation can and does vary depending on the temperature of that object. As the human eye cannot see the infrared (IR) spectrum, we need to use a device which can detect the “invisible” energy, a thermal imaging camera can do this. The camera builds a pixelated digital image (much like a normal modern camera. This allows us to “see” and measure the apparent temperature of the surface of any object and check for variants in the building envelope.

Recording the surface temperature of a building helps our thermography engineers to decipher what is actually being detected, such as missing insulation, thermal bridging, moisture ingress, leaks etc. We can also check for other parameters using different thermographic techniques.

Often we look at temperature comparisons rather than absolute temperatures. Therefore; thermal images without temperature scales, as it’s more important to highlight the anomalies and patterns. By using high contrast colours anomalies are far more visible and easier to pinpoint. The colour scale shows relatively hot as yellow/red/white and cold as black/purple/blue.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require a BREEAM Thermal survey our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

All we need are a few details such as floor plans and elevation drawings and the building location to provide a quotation. We will also send across our informative checklist to help you prepare for the thermal survey.

To undertake BRREAM Thermal Survey we will require the following items to be actioned:

1. We require a full set of elevations, roof and floor plan drawings prior to visiting site.
2. The building heating/AC systems must be turned on at least 12 hours before the inspection is to start in order to achieve a 10C differential between inside and outside the building.
3. All building surfaces being inspected to be dry & free of solar loading. No precipitation immediately prior to or during the survey, this may include mist and fog.
4. Any loose materials must be removed from the building envelope, e.g. timer sheeting stacked against the wall, roof etc.
5. No direct solar radiation on each face in the preceding hour. Sufficient time must elapse to allow heat previously built up from solar gain to be emitted from the building. The time for this to occur varies with the construction, but normally at least three hours is required. Problems with solar gain may limit the effectiveness of Infrared Thermography surveys during the summer months.
6. As we usually need to commence the survey approx. one hour before sunrise, to prevent solar loading, this may mean a start time of 4am so contractors should arrange that a responsible person is onsite at the prescribed time to meet our engineer to undertake the survey.
7. The site representative must be able to provide safe access to all areas to enable our engineer to undertake the survey.
8. All access must be provided by the contractor, i.e. if there is no safe access to the higher levels such as the roof etc. then the client must supply a cherry picker and an appropriately certified driver to operate the plant throughout the survey.
9. All internal doors to be propped open to ensure uniform internal temperature throughout the building envelope.
10. All external doors and windows on the building envelope to be closed tight to prevent heat loss.
11. Our engineer must be briefed by site competent person on site specific risks by site competent person.
12. The client must obtain and issue all relevant permits to work prior to any commencement of field work is so required.We hope this information has been helpful. If you require a BREEAM Thermal survey our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.All we need are a few details such as floor plans and elevation drawings and the building location to provide a quotation. We will also send across our informative checklist to help you prepare for the thermal survey.

When we arrive at site we undertake at site to undertake the thermal survey we undertake the following procedures:

1. Turn on IR camera and set object parameters so that correct image interpretation is obtained. Be sure to have the date and time present in the camera status bar.
2. Record external ambient temperature, wind speed and note down type of weather
3. Record internal ambient temperatures at several points inside the building. In some cases upper floors will have a higher temperature than lower due to the principle of convection.
4. Record internal/external spot measurements around the internal/external envelope of the building. Take at least three readings and then arrive at an average TCsi or Internal surface temperature using thermal index formulas
5. Set isotherm on the camera to the TCso.
6. Image external of the building elevations capturing all areas. Try to capture image as perpendicular as possible with as much of the elevation included as possible.
7. Record both elevation details and distance measurement.
8. Collate the information into the final report for the customer.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you require a BREEAM Thermal survey our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

All we need are a few details such as floor plans and elevation drawings and the building location to provide a quotation. We will also send across our informative checklist to help you prepare for the thermal survey.

In our experience highly qualified thermographer’s produce higher quality and more technically consistent inspections. Our engineers have the ability to troubleshoot, calibrate equipment, interpret data, and create reports. It also allows our engineers to develop inspection procedures and severity criteria for our clients. , as well as interpreting relevant codes, and manage a client based thermography program, including overseeing and providing training and testing, and calculating the return on investment for the program.

Our Level 2 thermographer’s have the ability to provide quantitative data. This involves utilising accurate temperature measurement and temperature criteria to grade or assess the severity of exceptions. One benefit of this type of inspection is that it allows our thermographer’s to take into account the load on the building envelope at the time of the inspection, the equipment type, and classification as well as changes in ambient operating conditions. It also allows thermographer’s to identify problems that aren’t presenting as exceptions.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you require a BREEAM Thermal survey our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

All we need are a few details such as floor plans and elevation drawings and the building location to provide a quotation. We will also send across our informative checklist to help you prepare for the thermal survey.