by Ankit Tiwari

The need of home energy audits is increasing day by day. The is requirement of maintaining the correct temperature is the requirement of each and every homeowner. There are several devices and equipment available in the market which are used everywhere to maintain the appropriate temperature. The requirement of these devices is to maximize the difference between the temperature of the interior and the surrounding. But having all those devices do not assure that you will get the desired results. There may be many defects in the home which does not allow those devices to function properly. A lot of money is gets wasted due to the high energy consumption of these devices.

The need of home energy audits is increasing day by day. The is requirement of maintaining the correct temperature is the requirement of each and every homeowner. There are several devices and equipment available in the market which are used everywhere to maintain the appropriate temperature. The requirement of these devices is to maximize the difference between the temperature of the interior and the surrounding. But having all those devices do not assure that you will get the desired results. There may be many defects in the home which does not allow those devices to function properly. A lot of money is gets wasted due to the high energy consumption of these devices.

The energy resources are depleting day by day and to use these energy resources efficiently is the necessary for energy conservation. Due to some defects in the structure of the house there may be high amount of heat loss. This heat loss not only increases the consumption of the energy but also increases the load on the operating devices.Therefore there is need of regular energy audits. Energy audits should not only be carried out in homes, but also in the commercial and industrial areas where the energy requirements are much higher than the residential areas.

Now we should discuss Why an Energy Audit is so important? There are many problems in the home and its structure which results in unnecessary heat loss taking place from the interior to its surrounding. Some of such problems are:

1. Improper insulation
2. Leaks and hindrances in the air conditioning and ventilating devices
3. Improper structure of the home
4. Overloading of electrical circuits
5. Problems in electrical connections
6. Unnecessary air infiltration from the surrounding

Due to all the problems listed above the devices are not able to maintain the required temperature.Therefore the defects in the home need to be identified in order to conserve energy and prevent loss . This is easily done with the help of thermal imaging cameras. The defects that are present in the home are not usually visible by the naked eye. Due to this, many homeowners often commit the mistake of changing the other things instead of the actual defect. You may end up spending thousands of dollars on anything that you feel may be the defect and yet have no results. It is very important to find out the actual area of defect which needs to be corrected. Therefore it is wise to spent money on the energy audit inspection which could save you a lot of money and also saves precious energy resources.

The thermal inspection process helps you to find out the actual defect. All the areas of the house that may consist of the probable defects are checked through thermal examining. This involves inspecting the structure of the home, roof, heating and cooling equipment, electrical connections, exterior of the home, etc. This is easily accomplished with the help of thermal infrared imaging. They see heat through walls and measure in terms of thermogram. Infrared cameras sense the temperature and produce the required images useful in finding the defects.

There is a certain process which is carried out during the inspection.

1. First of all you need to discuss the area of concern with the inspector also you need to tell him your requirements and also about the problems you are facing.The inspection can take several hours depending on the size of the home and the severity of the problem you are facing.
2. He will carefully inspect all the areas with the help of thermal inspection cameras which would take the images of the areas discussed above and will show the defects. He will record the findings and will note them down.
3. On the completion of the inspection he will discuss his observations with the home owner.He will tell you about the areas which are defected and the way to remove those defects.He will show you the infrared images which will help you to identify the problem.
4. He may also visit later if required.

Therefore getting a Energy Audit done at your home will save you money as well as reduce your carbon footprint as it saves resources.

References:
http://www.infrared-buildinginspections.com
http://www.infraredcamerasinc.com
http://infraredinformation.blogspot.com/
http://infraredinspections.blogspot.com/
http://www.predictive-maintenance.com
http://www.correnergyconsulting.com
http://www.nrgbydesign.com