Detecting energy leaks with the FLIR Edge Pro
Are you losing money out the window this winter? Whether it's your home or a small business trying to keep warm, anything from air leaks to poor insulation could account for up to half of your total energy bill each month. And with rising energy prices, those higher electric and natural gas bills can be hard to bear.
What is causing leaks and how do you find them?
The inherent problem with air leaks is that they are invisible to the naked eye. Inadequate insulation and insulation "gaps" (places where insulation is missing altogether) are also well hidden. Fortunately, air leaks and poor insulation create cold spots; and when there is a temperature difference, there is a chance of finding it with a thermal imager.
Let's talk about the FLIR Edge Pro. This smartphone accessory with a thermal camera detects infrared light which is then displayed as a radiometric image. That is: it sees heat and cold and uses it to create a photograph with integrated temperature readings.
FLIR Edge Pro is easy to use without a lot of training, making it a good choice for renters, homeowners, and small business owners who want to inspect their spaces for the source of energy loss.
Unlike similar smartphone accessory cameras, Edge Pro connects wirelessly and works with iOS and Android devices. The thermal image is sharp and easy to interpret thanks to a proprietary FLIR imaging process called Multi-Spectral Dynamic Imaging (MSX®). It's also designed to be affordable and to last, which means you can alleviate the stress of rising bills and continue to save money in the future.
Where do I start?
Once you've wirelessly connected your Edge Pro to your smart device, you can start with the usual suspects for air leaks: windows and doors. Whether improperly installed, poorly insulated, or old and deteriorated, windows and doors can leak a lot of air around the edges. If you perform this inspection when the outside air is cooler than the inside air, you should easily see a temperature difference around leaky windows and doors. If you use the standard color palette for the FLIR Edge Pro (called "Iron"), cold areas will look purple, while warmer areas will look yellow and orange.
Keep in mind that glass insulates while metal does not. If your windows or doors have metal frames, they will automatically appear colder than glass. Instead, see if the walls around the window or door also appear cold. That tells you that cold air is coming out of the frame into the room.
As you continue to inspect your space, look for air leaks around chimneys, attic doors and wall vents. All of these leaks can be addressed at the DIY level with low-cost products to combat inclement weather.
Next, use the camera to inspect the exterior walls and corners. If there is inadequate insulation or missing insulation between studs, that section of the wall will appear cold compared to the other insulated sections. Fixing the insulation may require an expert, but it will save you money and make your home more comfortable in the long run.
For those with heated floors, the FLIR Edge Pro is the right tool to verify that the equipment is working properly. In a radiant floor system, heat is provided by hot water pipes or electrical cables that are installed under the floor. However, there are several points at which this system could fail: problems with how the screen floor was made, problems with how the pipes were laid, failures in the electrical wiring, or inefficiencies in the pump that moves water through the pipes. If the radiant floor is not working efficiently, you should be able to see it with the FLIR Edge Pro.
Once the leaks have been fixed, what happens then?
The great thing about a small thermal camera like the FLIR Edge Pro is that you can use it for many more applications than just finding power leaks. This rugged little camera can also help you detect overheating fuses, moisture buildup on a wall or ceiling (looks cold) or even pests hiding in walls (looks hot).
All this is not to mention other unexpected but useful uses around the house, such as checking for loose electrical connections, finding your dog in the dark, and much more.
The sooner you start hardening your space against invisible energy leaks, the more money you'll save. Learn more about the entire FLIR ONE and FLIR Edge Series product line. You'll also find links to the FLIR ONE app, so you can use Edge Pro with your smart device and other apps that can help you inspect your home, your car and more.
