There has recently been a sweeping green movement making headway in America (and across the rest of the industrialized world) where awareness of energy efficiency and reduction of your carbon footprint are hallmarks of change.

The right choice of materials can also reduce the carbon footprint any material necessarily implies by either its construction or the conscious decisions and costs incurred by the manufacture, transport and installation of the material. We can think of these measures as composing an 'energy target' upon which as we progressively move towards the bulls eye we approach the best possible materials and the lowest possible costs. There are many considerations when referring to materials as to what constitutes the 'best'. This may mean high quality, low actual out of pocket cost, low environmental impact or many other possible considerations. When thinking of costs we must balance the initial out of pocket costs against the environmental costs inherent in the construction and use of a material as well as the transportation costs necessary either in the manufacture of the material or to move it to the site of final use.

While all these costs may not be borne by the final purchaser we as a society and as members of the growing green awareness movement must consider them as part of the overall cost of a particular material choice. One important material related cost is thermal efficiency. Inspections using thermal imaging cameras (sometimes known as 'infrared building inspections') can reveal heat loss targets in construction where materials may be improper for the desired usage, improperly applied or installed or simply inappropriate for the desired heat transfer results. Over the lifetime of a building these energy losses can add quite a toll to the cost of heating a structure and these losses can be avoided if the problem is understood and rectified.

Normally humans see in what is known as the visual light spectrum. Since light (and heat flow) is a spectrum it occurs both below, as infrared, and above, as ultraviolet, the range of the normal visual spectrum. While we cannot naturally see this radiative energy we have constructed cameras which can resolve the infrared portion of the spectrum and reveal these flows of heat energy. These devices, known as thermal imaging cameras, can be used by an energy inspection team during an energy audit to reveal areas of inappropriate heat flow (either positive or negative) and as they say 'knowing is half the battle'. Once these are identified they can then be rectified by the addition or removal of proper materials or by alignment and closure of gaps or spaces. There are many aspects of construction and structural implementation where these thermal imaging inspection efforts can be utilized. Walls are an obvious source of heat flow to the external world which can be addressed by insulation and the proper choice of materials. Surprisingly pipes in the floors and other spaces of a structure can contribute quite strongly to heat flow. HVAC and plumbing should not be discounted as targets of an energy efficiency audit. Often the addition of simple insulation and proper gap and connection fittings can result in large savings.

Perhaps the best factor of all to be considered is the fact that by utilizing these technologies during an infrared building inspection and correcting the problems which are found (either during construction or post installation) both the carbon footprint of the operation and the costs over the lifetime of the project can be reduced helping both the environment and the pocketbook. Having a proper understanding of the mechanisms involved and the technologies available can help you to hit your energy target and to have both a lower cost incurred as well as a higher quality end product.

by Brent Thomas

About the Author:

Brent is a Computer Scientist and CEO of 9Hazel LLC. He has enjoyed an interest in scientific development as well as green techology throughout his career.