Thermography Quality Controls In Achieving Energy Efficiency-w32dasm

.puters-and-Technology With energy prices rising and no sign of the rate of increase slowing, energy efficiency has never been more important. Back in October 2008, it became law to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for any property being sold in the UK. The certificate provides ‘A’ to ‘G’ ratings for the property, with ‘A’ being the most energy efficient and ‘G’ being the least, with the average property up to now being in band ‘D’. The certificates are produced with a report which suggests improvements to make the property more efficient. Quite often for the houses at the band D level, one of the improvements re.mended is the installation of install cavity wall insulation. This and incentives such as Government grants has brought about a rise in people installing cavity wall insulation (CWI) to their homes. By increasing the insulating properties of your wall, it will reduce the amount of heat you lose through the building envelope and therefore save money on energy bills and reduce overall CO2 emissions. However, in some cases installing CWI .es with it a few side effects which are not well publicised. 1. Penetrating Dampness The cavity wall construction was originally introduced to prevent wind driven rain penetrating to the inside surfaces. By filling the cavity with insulation, particularly in areas where wind driven rain is .mon, there is always going to be a high risk that moisture will find its way to the inside surfaces. 2. Condensation leading to black mould very often cavity wall insulation has been installed less than perfectly and as such there are areas unfilled air pockets. These will cause cold spots on the internal walls which increase the risk of condensation and the formation of black mould. 3. Increased Energy Bills Ironically, by installing cavity wall insulation, there is the risk that if moisture is allowed to enter the cavity it will be trapped within the insulation, dramatically decreasing it insulating properties and therefore increasing the amount of heat loss from the property. The cost of rectifying the problems discussed above can be extremely expensive, let alone the psychological effects it can have when your home has been damaged in this way. There are obviously great energy saving benefits to installing CWI. The main issue is therefore is the lack of quality control regarding its installation. As it is not possible to see into the cavity, it is difficult to fully ensure there are no air pockets and areas affected by moisture ingress. The only way the home owner is able to check the quality of the work, is to monitor the energy bills and the condition of the walls. If there are problems associated with the installation, by the time it is recognised, much of the damage to the property has been done, leading to expensive remedial works. Thermography is undoubtedly the missing link in this whole process. A thermal imaging inspection of a property following the installation of CWI will very easily identify areas where the insulation is missing together with identifying any moisture ingress. The process is non-intrusive and non-destructive. It provides a very quick assessment of the quality of the installation together with providing clear information on exactly where to direct any remedial works. Until the Government and/or the CWI Installation .panies take responsibility for ensuring the quality of these installations, it will be down to home owners to either take the risk and do nothing or .mission a thermal imaging survey of the property and challenge the installers to rectify any anomalies that are identified. Professional thermal imaging surveys of domestic properties can be .pleted from around 120 depending on the type and detail of the report required. It is my personal belief that the Installation .panies should include thermal imaging inspections as part of the service for the following reasons: 1. As they are .pleting the work they have a duty to ensure the installation is carried out correctly. 2. The high costs to the Installation .panies of rectifying identified problems. By the time a problem is recognised, damage to the property has already occurred, leaving the .pany to not only make good their work but also the damage it has caused. The thermal imaging survey would identify the exact areas where remedial works are required, soon after installation. This would enable relatively simple remedial work to be .pleted alongside normal business operations. 3. A thermal imaging survey would also protect the Installation .pany from claims where moisture ingress damage could have been caused by other additions/alterations carried out on the property after the installation. 4. If the thermal imaging surveys were .missioned by the insulation .panies, the overall cost of the service could be cheaper due to economies of scale. The Installation .panies programmes of work could be passed to the thermal imaging .pany who could then develop a programme which could be .pleted more efficiently than by liaising with individual home owners. About the Author: 相关的主题文章：