Infrared Cameras Can Help You Reduce Energy Bills

Written by Jeff Ziegelbaur, Director of Design Development for Dominick Tringali Architects

As energy costs continue to rise, homeowners or business owners frequently ask us how they can decrease the cost of operating their home or office. One of the first things we typically recommend is to have someone walk through the home or building and inspect it with an infrared camera.

Two companies in our area which specialize in this service are Nelson Energy Seal (Don Nelson) and Draft Stop Energy & Insulation (Bob Carey) These companies will scan your home or building with an infrared camera and determine the location of air leaks and any possible moisture problems. Homeowners then receive a report documenting where any problems are and also receive some suggestions for correcting them.

Some of these solutions can be fairly inexpensive, such as replacing weather-stripping on exterior doors or applying foam around all exterior plugs and switches. Other solutions will cost more but significantly lower your energy bills, such as adding insulation to your attic, replacing older fiberglass rim joist insulation with a closed cell foam insulation, or replacing old aluminum windows.

No matter what your budget is for home improvement projects - the most important thing to remember before you consider improving your home energy usage is to know where the problems are from the start and how they can be properly corrected.

Dominick Tringali Architects is a residential, custom and community architectural firm specializing in the methodology lifestyle by design. To learn more, please visit www.dtarchitects.com or http://dtarchitects.blogspot.com.