Using A FLIR Thermal Camera To Save On Energy Bills

[@johntisbury]

I would also suggest going outside and use the camera to look back at the house. Best to do this when there's a good temperature variance between indoors and outdoors. I have my own infra red camera and it's surprising how often you can use it over the course of a year. You can also use it to see any hotspots on your solar panels.

[@barryhaeger4284]

Great video as usual! As it happens my son has a cheap self-contained £110 Ali Express self-contained thermal camera which he brought with him when he visited before Christmas. It saved me £500-£600 straight off the bat because I had just got quotes for a Power Flush but the Thermal Camera showed that all the radiators were heating evenly and no cold spots. Also showed where there had been a window in the lounge I never knew had been there and the buried lintel was a cold spot as was the loft hatch. I also could confirm that the 300mm of Rockwall loft insulation was doing its job and had been pushed into all the difficult to reach places but the loft hatch showed up as DEEP BLUE and in need of attention. We also went outside and inspected the performance of the windows and wall insulation and all was good apart for one hot spot 10 C hotter than any other point on the house. It coincided with where central heating pipes at the other side were buried in the floor typical on a 1970's build. Well worth any family investing in a thermal camera I would say and sharing the cost.

[@RichTeer]

Our local library lends out those cameras for free! The only downside is the one+ year waiting list… I got one last winter and it’s amazing what hidden heat loss places it found!

[@bamhogans]

Our library does too! It miraculously only took about 3 weeks on the wait list.

[@solentbum]

About 11 years ago my son purchased a Flir camera for use at work. One of the first savings was when he discovered a very hot spot in the mains cabling in the warehouse where he worked. When we used the camera on our home we discovered that the building was full of heat escape routes, in spite of having 'professional ' installed insulation. We ended up knocking the old house down and built anew. The new house is built like a tea-cosy, and when we use the camera now it is hard to find any leaks! Plus we have a brand new house, for the six of us.

[@sniperpd9505]

That's a bit drastic!

[@solentbum]

@@sniperpd9505 The house did need a lot of other work, it was a cost effective replacement. We now have a six bedroom house that is cheaper to run than the old house.

[@sniperpd9505]

@@solentbum I'm pleased it worked out for you. I'm very cautious and need to see loads more examples before I take the plunge. I'm hoping to see some examples of flats with no outside space. I'm annoyed Gov.uk is putting all their eggs I n one basket. One size does not fit all.

[@simondehaas8784]

I have just bought a FLIR one too, took my first set of photos yesterday and need to go through in a bit more detail. Found a similar issue to you below the kitchen cupboards. Realised that the bottom third of some of our walls are colder where they go in to cellar, which seems obvious but I hadn't realised before (our house is split level). Confirmed a few other things I suspected were cold spots that will be harder to deal with but also confirmed that a couple of improvements I made in the past are working! I'm hoping it will eventually pay for itself with us, as our house is big, draughty and we'll be here a long time... we'll see. I also have an extractor fan that I thought was completely dead... but the FLIR has shown me it is producing heat! So some investigation is warranted there. A word of warning to others...FLIR seem to be having trouble with compatibility with certain phones, which their website does not indicate at all. I have a Google Pixel on Android 13 and the FLIR does not work with it, but fortunately there is an older version of the FLIR app that works with my old Sony phone on Android 9. I also tested the camera successfully with the latest app on my friend's Samsung with Android 12. FLIR have told me an app update will be released to make it work with Pixel phones, but I'm not holding my breath. Go in eyes-open because these things are not cheap.

[@marcusd2380]

Flir cameras are a great job. But go outside and look at ur front door and windows. Doors loose heat but the gap between the window fram and wall might surprise you. I ended up silicone between them on the inside and outside and save litres of oil each day

[@justinstephenson9360]

Cracking video. When I have the money to do next stage of house energy efficiency upgrade I will definitely get one of these.

[@gonzo_the_great1675]

Cold spots on upstairs ceilings will also attract damp and mould. As moisture will migrate to the upper floors and then find the cold surfaces to condense on. I've just fixed my insulation and had to repaint because of this.

[@j0404t]

Does that mean I will also need to insulate my attic? Otherwise mold will grow there

[@gonzo_the_great1675]

@@j0404t Your upper floors should be airtight from air (moist or not) from getting into the roof space. Otherwise you are losing heat that way. So there should not be getting moisture in the loft to condense on surfaces. Inside the house you get moisture from people, cooking, fish tanks, drying clothes on radiators etc.

[@martiruda]

did you have to cut holes in your ceiling and re-plaster and all that? I have a lot of cold spots in my ceiling

[@gonzo_the_great1675]

@@martiruda I was able to sleeve insulation into the cavities from the loft. The corners are boxed in, so I will probably need to make a small hole to pour some granular insulation in.

[@smallmj2886]

I had a guy from a local insulation company come in with one a while back. It didn't cost a thing, until I paid him to fix some of the problems he found.

[@roscopeco2000]

Just be careful pushing insulation upto eaves people, insulation is supposed to taper off here to allow airflow down to the eaves. You might end up with damp issues in loft space

[@peterf7248]

I agree, depends on how the roof was designed, no airflow can be a problem.

[@richmaniow]

Agree houses need to breathe, the majority of damp issues are caused by double glazing stopping a bit of natural airflow.

[@edc1569]

as long as you don't pack it into the eaves you're not likely to block airflow up much

[@MrItalianfighter1]

Install baffles first to ensure the roof has the airflow, then install the installation.

[@gsdevme]

You shouldn't really fit a kitchen on-top of a "floating floor" though, thats why its done like that. What you can do is throw some loft insulation under the units though.

[@jeremylister89]

Thank you. Several months ago I was going to buy a thermal camera, but got distracted and forgot. Now I've seen this vid, I'll look again. Was going to get a UNI-T model from aliexpress. Good reminder...thanks👍

[@norfolkmustard]

I’ve had a flir for a while but it stopped charging. Replaced it with a TopDon one and it’s great. Much higher resolution than the flir ones - 256x192 compared to flir 80x60 - and a little cheaper.

[@peterhurst]

I got a Uni-T 256×192 from Ali express for £170, for just this purpose

[@richard1095]

I’ve been looking at the topdon

[@richardkingadi5511]

@@richard1095 Much better than the Flir -performance wise - the Flir also suffers from battery failures while the Topcon is powered from the phone!

[@Liquid_Badger]

Use it on your heat pump pipe work externally and internally. I found that wrapping my DHW cylinder with foil bubble wrap insulation made a difference!

[@bill_heywood]

We just got a pro version at work and it is fantastic, borrowed it to look at my house. Like you, the loft hatch is an obvious place I need to start with insulating. I also need to draught proof several timber external doors. If you know someone who has one, then it is definitely worth borrowing one

[@Inbal_Feuchtwanger]

Yeah the quality difference in the pro is pretty noticeable. These are also quite amazing to asses the damage from a water leak before you start to demo. Its not perfect, but you can often see the exact extent of the damage through your flooring and walls.

[@GlennPierce]

Not sure what you mean when you say push the insulation to the end. People need to be careful and you do need some air flow in the roof. Not saying its wrong in this case but packing every area with insulation can cause issues.

[@matthewling2032]

In Suffolk the council has a number of these that it lends out to community groups. Great idea!

[@Rexbilly9819]

Octopus energy loan out thermal image cameras to their customers. I had one for a week. Amazing, found cold spots in the loft insulation and a hole that needed filling. Also found a few draughts to seal.

[@Chips_78]

South cambridgeshire district council lends these cameras out to residents, maybe other councils have similar schemes

[@campbellcopeland]

Got my email from Octopus yesterday about being on the waiting list for an FLIR camera. No idea when it’ll happen though - would have been ideal when really cold outside

[@grahamgreen9440]

The local Transition group where I live have one and for a donation would come and do a thermal survey of your property. Very useful tool but as you say not a justifiable purchase.

[@colinwalker9583]

Good stuff and helpful comments, I have seen that they can be used to identify faults on solar panels, hot spots etc.

[@briangriffiths114]

I have a Black and Decker thermal detector (a gun type device) which I used to confirm that a neighbour's new build had a section of uninsulated external wall. Very good video and I think that renting one of these devices is a great idea.

[@stefan2796]

Good, practical video! Thx for uploading!

[@davidy7004]

You definitely can hire thermal cameras - Jewson was the 1st one I saw, although this is a stand-alone device not a phone attachment. But the prices seem expensive especially for something you'll probably want to use initially but then come back and have the expense of hiring again when you've made changes and want to assess how well they worked.

[@markbowyer2147]

EVM, Before you pass this device on, can you do a thermal survey of the house to identify Phantom Loads? Things that get left in standby and are not needed from hour to hour. Things like phone chargers, laptop chargers etc leap out at you! Maybe demonstrate against the smart meter to show real savings.

[@andytaylor6893]

I suspect underneath the kitchen plinth appears cooler because the warm air from your radiators is not circulating into that void. Remove the plinths and leave it a few days and it will appear to be be the same temperature as the rest of the floor.

[@rogerfinch7651]

Yeah we did borrow one. Mate found loads of heat flooding out his kitchen front wall into his drive. Can see the spot of no insulation under the water tank in the loft too, so it doesn’t freeze up. We bought a big one for work too - checking on hot wiring and appliances 👍 def worth doing and sell or pass it on

[@nxsynjs]

Bjorn used one a while back to see where the hot/cold spots were on his model 3, how fast the battery heated up, how effective the heaters and insulation etc were so there's certainly the potential for more content

[@jaynemesis]

It can also be a good way to see if any of your radiators have sludge building up, how hot your different radiators are getting, if your windows are sealed properly or not. etc.

[@norfolkmustard]

@@jaynemesis I used one for just that purpose, instantly see the cold spots on the radiators and also monitor it gradually clearing with the sludge removal chemicals flushing through. Also interesting to see the path the chimney takes in a wall - not straight up as we thought - and how much heat is lost from it, 17°C on an external wall while ambient temp was 1°C

[@1grizzlyrizzo]

My tool library has one and is great for this task.

[@HansKeesom]

There is also a wireless one that uses wifi, called the Edge. I must say, a bit expensive and a bit slow it seams when both cameras are running in overlaymode. And it takes a while to get it up and running. It works, but I think I should have uses the one you have bought.

[@MrWobling]

I borrowed one of these from work - job done!

[@martinswitzer6534]

Perfect. Just at the right time - wanted to buy one but didn't know what to buy or if it would do what I wanted. Companies do provide the service where I live in Europe but charge 3x the purchase price, manpower and 'report' included. You didn't use it on the outside, though...?

[@martinhoy4632]

If you have little to no insulation between the garage and the first floor, might be worth insulating the garage ceiling.

[@hisroyalblueness]

They’re great for spotting wildlife at night - badgers in your bushes etc.

[@gonzo_the_great1675]

Get your gear tart friend to buy it as a gadget, then invite them around to play...

[@sav376]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

[@silvertube52]

I bought one, think it's worth it. I did find one heat leak that I can fix, but mostly I found places where heat is being lost, but retrofit would be complicated and expensive. Even if you can't recoup the cost, I think it is worth buying. Then you can take it to your family and friends and look for energy savings.

[@littlechanges13]

My local library lends out thermal cameras, fantastic place for them and all libraries should do it IMHO

[@MichaelStickley]

Good one. Been toying with this idea for a while and I'm thinking of putting a notice up on the local social media pages asking if anyone's willing to rent one out for a couple of days (or group buy one) - fingers crossed because, as you say, they are a tad expensive to buy for an individual!

[@clivetrowbridge6759]

Hi did you use it outside of your home to take photos of any heat loss please.

[@clivetrowbridge6759]

Hi what model of the flir thermal image camera have you got. Also is it possible to email the photos to a friend. Also how long did it take to charge and also what was the duration of usage please.

[@dropshot1967]

I have heard of projects where cities deployed advisers with these thermal cameras to advise people on what insulation could/should be installed where, in order to be the most cost effective in reducing heating/energy bills. Even some neighborhood committees used them that way.

[@sav376]

For the wall thermal loss, do you think hanging something, sort of decoratively, would have an effect? I'm picturing a thermal tapestry :)

[@sniperpd9505]

Can't you put some sort of insulation on the garage ceiling?

[@clivepierce1816]

Weird synchronicity. I just asked my local council for the loan of a FLIR thermal imaging camera. We installed an ASHP in the summer and have been monitoring its performance over recent months, particularly December. Our energy consumption is a little higher than expected, probably because we have some gaps in our cavity wall insulation and several old double glazed windows with dodgy seals.

[@JohnR31415]

EVM Flir hire… I’ll hire it for a week.

[@steverichmond7142]

Air tightness is as important. Easy and cheap to test.... Tyre inflator and barometer. Do it room by room and take your time.

[@evanofelipe]

You make some interesting points - thanks

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Flir is poor value nowadays - competitors like the Infiray P2 have better resolution and framerate

[@norfolkmustard]

Agreed. I just got a TopDon to replace a flir that stopped charging, much better resolution, multi-point temp reading, auto hottest/coldest spot and cheaper than the base model flir

[@janrozema7650]

I renten one, cuy came by and we walked around the house. I learned a thing or two about my house

[@kitsurubami]

your home is beautiful

[@onlineo2263]

We could definitely use one for a couple of days in Sheffield. I wonder if there is a 2nd hand one I can purchase then resell.

[@HeDzsz]

You can easily remove the plinth beneath the kitchen cabinets without destroying it. And then put insulation behind it.

[@connclissmann6514]

Maybe start a Flir service in your area to help others become cold-spot aware? You could do it for gain or a voluntary contribution to your neighborhood. Just a thought...

[@Roedy_Coedy]

I looked at renting a thermal camera, it's not as good as what you've shown (lesser resolution) but was £70 a day, plus a £30 deposit and £20 insured postage to return so never bothered. In the meantime I've done the poorman's version of this. Wait for a really windy day and go around each window/door/socket with an incense stick to check for airtightness. It won't help for level of insulation of course but its the best I could do For £3 vs £120!

[@benfoley7451]

Also useful for balancing radiators to increase energy efficiency!

[@ashtontechhelp]

CEX had some refurbished units for sale, about £240 I believe for the higher resolution Android model. I have found that all the draught sealing I have done is really paying off but my front and back doors are a bit leaky and my cavity insulation is not very even. I also have sections at the top of my bedrooms that have a 45 degree slope (30's council house, it was cheaper to build with three courses of brick missing) and this slope is not at all insulated. I'm going to try to pour some polystyrene packing peanuts in. I will probably lend my camera to my neighbours, also.

[@rupertmiller4718]

A while ago a friend trained as a home inspector under the then government scheme, which was subsequently watered down to provide EPCs. The first question I asked him was do you use thermal imaging cameras ; answer no! The EPC calculated the way it is essentially on the back of an envelope was a bit of a joke. Anhour weith a thermal imaging camera would have given a much better picture.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

In effect, if you can be bothered to put up with the hassle, you can "rent" by buying one on ebay or similar and then selling it later. But yes if there was a rental service id definitely rent one. And youve given me the impetus to insulate my loft hatch also.

[@jasonpetris461]

Why when you can buy on Amazon and just return it?

[@jackruss1011]

Have you tried going out side and seeing where heat is leaking out of the house I did was supprised...

[@kevfquinn]

Sort of thing that an EPC surveyer could have, to include a bunch of camera shots to the customer paying for the EPC survey.

[@daler2577]

I'm in the fortunate position that I can use the one that's on the Fire Truck... And when you look at your double glazing windows it shows you how bad they have been fitted !

[@Rabscuttle3]

Good sense - thanks!

[@matthewwakeham2206]

They are much less impressive but you can a get non- contact infra red thermometers for £20-30 from the likes of CPC (farnell) etc. they only tell you the temperature of what the laser is pointing at but it is the same principle.

[@edc1569]

You can probably get an injectable insulation product to go into the existing plasterboard wall, if you don't want to rip it down.

[@markyates5744]

They should have a rental scheme like "Love Film" where you can borrow one for £10 for a week off the council... £200-1000 is too much for the average Joe to check this. In my house I've got a wood burner. But even in winter its only on maybe 3-5% of the time as like now it's 10C outside, so I don't bother. Luckily the wood burner is set back from the wall in it's own recess. So I got a piece of ply 2cm smaller than the opening. Fitted 2x4's around it to make a box. Found a sheet of celotex in a skip and cut it so tight to fit the box it doesn't need anything to holid it in place. Then I staple gunned scrap carpet to the 2x4's around the edge. Now when I'm not using the stove I have a super-snug plug that fills the gap which I can kick in place with my foot! Otherwise the stove is a freezing, draughty 5 inch diamater larder cupboard in what should be the warmest room of the house!!! Oh, and to the front I fitted 2x 5 inch screws to the wood frame as hooks to pull out the ply when i want to use the stove. You can see a video of this in my own channel.

[@tf2694]

Octopus energy do a borrow a thermal camera scheme 👍

[@landscapingspecialist]

No, I just wanted one to be able to see heat signatures out on my property whether for humans or wildlife. But I want one that can read at distances. So I’m still researching. But hadn’t considered the potential for making the home more efficient as far as heat loss. So I’ll add that to the benefit column. I was look g at the FLIR E6-XT. But I’m nowhere close to pulling the trigger. At that cost, I have a great deal of diligence to do first.

[@pipe2devnull]

I got a thermal imaging fun from the library.

[@eldridgep2]

Jewsons rent them for £80 per day or £111 for a weekend. Crazy prices for what you get, especially as you'd want to do a before and after.

[@nicdensley4104]

Me and mate are looking at buying one of these to do the same thing.

[@Dreador.]

I went with a Topdon cheaper for better resolution only downside for some is android only.

[@rrddaatube]

I'm no expert, but... I would guess your issue in the kitchen is more to do with airflow/drafts, probably where the pipe work comes in rather than lack of insulation. I've been looking to get one of these cameras, but not found a cost effective way yet, that and I want to solve all the issues I know about first!

[@graham-kirby]

There is a hire company near us that were charging £50 a day, mysteriously the price has gone up to £90 since the fuel prices went through the roof.

[@edwardpickering9006]

If you join the Carbon Coop (£35 a year) they have one you can borrow.

[@dbat3291]

I brought one last summer. Live in an old solid wall ex council house and plan external insulation. It was interesting looking at how the walls warmed up in the hot weather (down south) in August. Used it last week, you have to heat the house up first other wise there is none to get out. The council have externally insulated some houses along the road so I plan to check when I see vapour coming out their flue. Again I have shared with friends and family.

[@hotlush]

Not sure anyone else has mentioned it but Octopus Energy do have these available to borrow but the current waiting list is massive. Edit: should have watched to the end :D as above, yes, Octopus do still have the scheme in place.

[@richardkingadi5511]

I got one from Octopus quite recently - I only waited a few weeks...

[@neilm9400]

Pack king span under cabinets in kitchen

[@stepheng8779]

I'd try to find an alternative to using any of that companies products.

[@neilm9400]

@iscadean that would be best. I would agree

[@barriedear5990]

I would just use roll insulation, much easier to fit and draughtproof. The plinths should come pretty easy, so don't need to wait for kitchen refurb.

[@rasheemsanford9348]

So… initially, the cold spot was ONLY where scudded hole was, but now the whole attic is cold?

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

No.

[@stevehayward1854]

I would like to see the difference between double glazing and triple glazing on a thermal camera

[@richardkingadi5511]

The Topcon TC 100 is about the same price as the Flir One, but has higher resolution, and a 25hz shutter speed (not 9hz as in the Flir) So may be better value...

[@thorbjrnhellehaven5766]

I guess there are three different, at least there were with older FLIR models, Lightning for iPhone, then USB-C and USB-micro depending on you Android device.

[@davethefab6339]

Well done lad… can I borrow it?

[@mattguritz4615]

X-ray too?

[@ashtaroth1975]

Bjorn Nyland uses it to check if the car sensors and cameras are heated or not

[@Sailorman6996]

I think you should point heat camera on the outside of your house.

[@Mmmjustme]

One more use (for content as well?): compare heat losses between ICE and BEV?

[@Aeon_Electronics]

The quality and frame rate is really bad on those FLIR... :( for just 240$ you get a TOPDON tc001 with 25Hz and a bigger sensor (256x160) ...

[@peggyisme]

annual house audit especially the roof

[@christhesoundman]

Start a hire business with it. £20 a week. Pays for itself in 10 hires. Once you turn a profit, buy another, maybe for the alternative OS next time.

[@janmortensen9314]

argh my bad conscious is acting out; still got to insulate that loft opening

[@in2branding]

I would be pleased to borrow and return it. :)

[@stevec5000]

How did the get this thing to work when the software app for it is rubbish and don't work? It has mostly 1 star ratings and can't even find the camera!

[@senortrowell]

I'd get one but fear i would be absolutely horrified by the amount of heat lost in my drafty edwardian terrace, with open fireplace and stupidly high ceilings. The moronic residents association won't let us change our windows at the front into double glazing and we can't put solar on the street-facing side of the roof as it would "spoil the look of the area" I'd love to move into a more modern property with proper insulation

[@robinbennett5994]

Magnetic secondary glazing (MagnaGlaze, etc) is invisible from the outside and easy to DIY. That and chimney balloons would solve your biggest problems pretty cheaply. After that it's internal insulation whenever you redecorate a room. Solar is fun, but insulation will save you more money and make you more comfortable.

[@Cypher007vUK]

I bought a Flir and it was useful when arguing with the company the council used to install loft insulation. I even had to get them back as when I checked with the Flir I still had cold spots. To be honest even now there’s a couple of spots. So was good for me. Also noticed loads of heat leaking out of my double glazing and found the lintels in our late 60’s house are super cold inside the house. I’m trying to think of a way to insulate them without doing the whole internal wall with a stud and insulation.

[@gchecosse]

"If it bleeds, we can kill it"

[@livingladolcevita7318]

just offer to other households a heat loss survey for £10 and 20 houses later made your money back

[@stevieallan9778]

!!!!!!!! ANDY I NEED TO STOP YOU THERE !!!!!!!!!!! I work for a fire and flood restoration company, the biggest problem that I am dealing with at the moment, is burst pipes in the Attic the reason for this Is everybody is lagging the loft far too much. You need some heat from the house to go into the attic. Over Christmas I have been going to houses which are totally ruined, every single wall floor ceiling Is saturated with water, the cause of this, It's far too much loft insulation. when it freezes outside the Attic becomes far too cold and bursting pipes and water tanks and pipes are lagged but because there is no heat entering the attic the it is not sufficient, and it is not as simple as (ok I will put extra lagging on the pipes) please think about this. before putting layers of insulation in your attic. I am going into attics with 3 and 4 layers of insulation, mostly for this reason our company had 480 clams in Scotland in 48 hours and this is just our company other companies are also receiving clams. Just thought I should point this out

[@andrewdyson4255]

I’d certainly hire one for a couple of days, but wouldn’t buy one

[@MrRawMonkey]

Octupas loan these out for a week