Cost Effective Thermography for Increasing Residential Energy Efficiency on a Community Level

Cost Effective Thermography for Increasing Residential Energy Efficiency on a Community Level

I propose evaluating the use of thermal imaging to find insulation and building envelope deficiencies on a neighborhood or community scale by using aerial or “drive by” thermography. Various contractors offer aerial thermography for other purposes like roof inspection, environmental impact assessments, and power line surveys. Contractors providing this service for community level energy audits may be more rare because of the difficulty in finding the paying customer-a problem for which government, charities, utilities, or other creative ideas might offer a solution. Additional capability for aerial perspective thermographic data may come from government agencies like the DEA, NASA, and the military who may already have useful data obtained by their present operations.

The second concept for evaluation is the use of ground based thermal imaging cameras, typically used in energy audits, to quickly assess multiple homes in a neighborhood. In many communities the spacing of residential units could allow for imaging of significant portions of the residence to be taken from the road in a moving vehicle- a sort of drive-by thermography. Local police and fire departments might also have thermal imaging assets that could be used in this way and thereby reduce costs.

After obtaining the data there are several options to consider. First, the data could be made accessible directly on the Internet. This approach has the advantage of allowing home owners, businesses, and non profits to bring to task the full force of their creativity to use the data most effectively. A Google Maps or Google Earth type of approach might be most effective in this case though raw relatively unprocessed data could also be useful. Another option is to join forces directly with interested businesses and charities. Non profits interested in poverty reduction, economic development, and environmental causes would be motivated partners. Their assistance could be in processing the data into address specific content as well as dispersing that information, marketing the whole initiative, and directing homeowners on how they can fix the deficiencies discovered. Elected officials could also be helpful partners as this initiative would show their efforts to positively impact area budgets during hard economic times.