Applications of the infrared thermography in the energy audit of buildings: A review

Abstract From a wide range of bibliography (148 publications composed by books, guidelines, scientific papers, and other documents), the study presents a critical review of the use of the infrared thermography (IRT) survey in the building energy audit. After explaining its historical growth, the applicability of passive and active approaches has been described, considering well-established and emerging techniques, general procedures, types of IR-camera used, technical issues, and limitations. The passive approach is the most common to detect thermally significant defects. Thus, a specific procedure for the energy audit has been reported, matching different standards, guidelines, and professional advice. Similarly, recurring energy related problems are toughly presented (i.e. thermal characterization of buildings; thermal bridging, insulation level, air leakage and moisture detection; indoor temperature and U-value measurements; human comfort assessment). Finally, advantages and potential sources of errors as well as future trends in the use of IRT for the energy audit have been described. The research aims to serve as a reference for energy auditors and thermographers, to decide upon the best procedure for detecting specific energy defects.

[1]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  Thermographic Signal Reconstruction with periodic temperature variation applied to moisture classification , 2011 .

[2]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  Infrared Thermography for Moisture Detection: A Laboratory Study and In-situ Test , 2011 .

[3]  Giorgio Baldinelli,et al.  A quantitative methodology to evaluate thermal bridges in buildings , 2012 .

[4]  Giorgio Baldinelli,et al.  Windows thermal resistance: Infrared thermography aided comparative analysis among finite volumes simulations and experimental methods , 2014 .

[5]  K. M. S. V. Bandara,et al.  Recent Developments in Quantum-Well Infrared Photodetectors , 1995 .

[6]  Alfredo Llorente,et al.  Evaluation of the behavior of brick tile masonry and mortar due to capillary rise of moisture , 2014 .

[7]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  Monitoring of ancient buildings by the thermal method , 2002 .

[8]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  In-depth and In-plane Thermal Diffusivity Measurements of Thermal Barrier Coatings by IR Camera: Evaluation of Ageing , 2008 .

[9]  James P Miller,et al.  Kinetic super-resolution long-wave infrared (KSR LWIR) thermography diagnostic for building envelopes : Camp Lejeune, NC , 2015 .

[10]  G. Busse,et al.  Thermal wave imaging with phase sensitive modulated thermography , 1992 .

[11]  John Counsell,et al.  Combining thermography and computer simulation to identify and assess insulation defects in the construction of building façades , 2014 .

[12]  Stefano Sfarra,et al.  Quantitative thermography for the estimation of the U-value: state of the art and a case study , 2014 .

[13]  Rossano Albatici,et al.  Infrared thermovision technique for the assessment of thermal transmittance value of opaque building elements on site , 2010 .

[14]  Akira Hoyano,et al.  Analysis of the sensible heat flux from the exterior surface of buildings using time sequential thermography , 1999 .

[15]  Marijke Steeman,et al.  Assessing the thermal performance of insulating glass units with infrared thermography: Potential and limitations , 2017 .

[16]  K. Ghazi Wakili,et al.  Effects of individual climatic parameters on the infrared thermography of buildings , 2013 .

[17]  Antonia Moropoulou,et al.  Applications of infrared thermography for the investigation of historic structures , 2004 .

[18]  Jean-Luc Bodnar,et al.  Stimulated infrared thermography applied to help restoring mural paintings , 2012 .

[19]  Marc Röger,et al.  In-situ heat loss measurements of parabolic trough receivers based on transient infrared thermography , 2016 .

[20]  C. Corsi,et al.  New frontiers for infrared , 2015 .

[21]  Carosena Meola.  Infrared thermography of masonry structures , 2007 .

[22]  I. Guerrero,et al.  Thermographic survey of two rural buildings in Spain , 2004 .

[23]  Antonia Moropoulou,et al.  Evaluation of cleaning procedures on the facades of the Bank of Greece historical building in the center of Athens , 2002 .

[24]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  Moisture map by IR thermography , 2010 .

[25]  Peyman Moghadam,et al.  HeatWave : a handheld 3D thermography system for energy auditing , 2013 .

[26]  Elton Bauer,et al.  Analysis of building facade defects using infrared thermography: Laboratory studies , 2016 .

[27]  Paolo Bison,et al.  Thermal response measurement of building insulating materials by infrared thermography , 2016 .

[28]  I. Weintraub.  Energy Efficiency Manual , 2000 .

[29]  Theodore E. Matikas,et al.  Current injection phase thermography for low-velocity impact damage identification in composite laminates , 2014 .

[30]  Slobodan Ribaric,et al.  A knowledge-based system for the non-destructive diagnostics of façade isolation using the information fusion of visual and IR images , 2009, Expert Syst. Appl..

[31]  Gangbing Song,et al.  Investigation on eddy current pulsed thermography to detect hidden cracks on corroded metal surface , 2016 .

[32]  Steve Goodhew,et al.  Building defect detection: External versus internal thermography , 2016 .

[33]  Theodore E. Matikas,et al.  Monitoring mechanical damage in structural materials using complimentary NDE techniques based on thermography and acoustic emission , 2012 .

[34]  A. Bendada,et al.  Comparative Study of Active Thermography Techniques for the Nondestructive Evaluation of Honeycomb Structures , 2009 .

[35]  Soteris A. Kalogirou,et al.  Mock target IR thermography for indoor air temperature measurement , 2016 .

[36]  M. N. Assimakopoulos,et al.  Air tightness measurements of residential houses in Athens, Greece , 2008 .

[37]  J. Sun.  Analysis of Pulsed Thermography Methods for Defect Depth Prediction , 2006 .

[38]  J. Collazo,et al.  Applicability of infrared thermography to the study of the behaviour of stone panels as building env , 2011 .

[39]  Giovanni Maria Carlomagno,et al.  Infrared Thermography: Recent Advances And Future Trends , 2018 .

[40]  David Coley,et al.  Thermography methodologies for detecting energy related building defects , 2014 .

[41]  A. Rogalski.  Infrared detectors: status and trends , 2003 .

[42]  Asterios Bakolas,et al.  Non-destructive techniques as a tool for the protection of built cultural heritage , 2013 .

[43]  Moncef Krarti,et al.  Energy Audit of Building Systems : An Engineering Approach , 2000 .

[44]  Dias Haralambopoulos,et al.  Assessing the thermal insulation of old buildings—The need for in situ spot measurements of thermal resistance and planar infrared thermography , 1998 .

[45]  Vicente López,et al.  Procedure for NDT and Traditional Methods of Ancient Building Diagnosis, by Using Thermograph, Digital Images and other instruments data Analysis. , 2008 .

[46]  Morgan Fröling,et al.  Diagnosis of Buildings’ Thermal Performance - A Quantitative Method Using Thermography Under Non-steady State Heat Flow , 2015 .

[47]  Dario Ambrosini,et al.  U-value assessment by infrared thermography: A comparison of different calculation methods in a Guarded Hot Box , 2016 .

[48]  Arno Krenzinger,et al.  Accurate outdoor glass thermographic thermometry applied to solar energy devices , 2007 .

[49]  Burcin Becerik-Gerber,et al.  Infrared thermography of human face for monitoring thermoregulation performance and estimating personal thermal comfort , 2016 .

[50]  Yves Candau,et al.  Improvement of building wall surface temperature measurements by infrared thermography , 2005 .

[51]  John Counsell,et al.  Energy efficiency is more than skin deep: Improving construction quality control in new-build housing using thermography , 2013 .

[52]  Elena Lucchi,et al.  Thermal transmittance of historical stone masonries: A comparison among standard, calculated and measured data , 2017 .

[53]  Giuliano Dall'O',et al.  Infrared Screening of Residential Buildings for Energy Audit Purposes: Results of a Field Test , 2013 .

[54]  Elisabetta Rosina,et al.  Optimal thermographic procedures for moisture analysis in building materials , 1999, Industrial Lasers and Inspection.

[55]  Targo Kalamees,et al.  Air tightness and air leakages of new lightweight single-family detached houses in Estonia , 2007 .

[56]  Devdas Shetty,et al.  Application of a He3Ne infrared laser source for detection of geometrical dimensions of cracks and scratches on finished surfaces of metals , 2013 .

[57]  E. Barreira,et al.  Infrared thermography for assessing moisture related phenomena in building components , 2016 .

[58]  Paul Gill,et al.  Electrical Power Equipment Maintenance and Testing , 1997 .

[59]  Nezih Mrad,et al.  Pulsed thermography for non-destructive evaluation and damage growth monitoring of bonded repairs , 2009 .

[60]  Inês Flores-Colen,et al.  Quasi-quantitative infrared thermographic detection of moisture variation in facades with adhered ceramic cladding using principal component analysis , 2015 .

[61]  Hoon Sohn,et al.  Line laser lock-in thermography for instantaneous imaging of cracks in semiconductor chips , 2015 .

[62]  Frank Kreith,et al.  Handbook of energy efficiency and renewable energy , 2007 .

[63]  Vladimir Platonovich Vavilov,et al.  A pessimistic view of the energy auditing of building structures with the use of infrared thermography , 2010 .

[64]  E. Barreira,et al.  Evaluation of building materials using infrared thermography , 2007 .

[65]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  Thermal diffusivity measurement in slabs using harmonic and one-dimensional propagation of thermal waves , 2004 .

[66]  David Coley,et al.  Time-lapse thermography for building defect detection , 2015 .

[67]  Constantinos A. Balaras,et al.  Infrared thermography for building diagnostics , 2002 .

[68]  Ricardo M.S.F. Almeida,et al.  An infrared thermography passive approach to assess the effect of leakage points in buildings , 2017 .

[69]  Giorgio Baldinelli,et al.  Infrared Thermography Assessment of Thermal Bridges in Building Envelope: Experimental Validation in a Test Room Setup , 2014 .

[70]  R. A. Smith,et al.  The Detection and Measurement of Infrared Radiation , 1958 .

[71]  Frank Kreith,et al.  Energy Management and Conservation Handbook , 2016 .

[72]  Ángeles Mas,et al.  Pathology of Building Materials in Historic Buildings. Relationship Between Laboratory Testing and Infrared Thermography , 2014 .

[73]  J. M. Milne,et al.  The Non-Destructive Evaluation Of Composites And Other Materials By Thermal Pulse Video Thermography , 1985, Other Conferences.

[74]  François Rémi Carrié,et al.  Uncertainties in building pressurisation tests due to steady wind , 2016 .

[75]  V. P. de Freitas,et al.  Air permeability measurements of dwellings and building components in Portugal , 2011 .

[76]  Soteris A. Kalogirou,et al.  Infrared thermography (IRT) applications for building diagnostics: A review , 2014 .

[77]  Annette M. Harte,et al.  Infrared thermography technique as an in-situ method of assessing heat loss through thermal bridging , 2017 .

[78]  Soteris A. Kalogirou,et al.  Application of infrared thermography for the determination of the overall heat transfer coefficient (U-Value) in building envelopes , 2011 .

[79]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  Cross-comparison of thermal diffusivity measurements by thermal methods , 2002 .

[80]  Ermanno G. Grinzato,et al.  Quantitative infrared thermography in buildings , 1998 .

[81]  Nuno M.M. Ramos,et al.  Airtightness and ventilation in a mild climate country rehabilitated social housing buildings – What users want and what they get , 2015 .

[82]  Xavier Maldague,et al.  Theory and Practice of Infrared Technology for Nondestructive Testing , 2001 .

[83]  M. D. Mainar-Toledo,et al.  Experimental Analysis of the Infrared Thermography for the Thermal Characterization of a Building Envelope , 2012 .

[84]  Thomas Olofsson,et al.  Quantitative infrared thermography imaging of the density of heat flow rate through a building element surface , 2014 .

[85]  B. M. Marino,et al.  Estimation of the surface thermal resistances and heat loss by conduction using thermography , 2017 .

[86]  Ayse Tavukcuoglu,et al.  Use of IR thermography for the assessment of surface-water drainage problems in a historical building, Ağzıkarahan (Aksaray), Turkey , 2005 .

[87]  Michela Chiogna,et al.  A comprehensive experimental approach for the validation of quantitative infrared thermography in the evaluation of building thermal transmittance , 2015 .

[88]  Wayne Turner,et al.  Energy Management Handbook , 2020 .

[89]  Veronica Redaelli,et al.  Thermography : current status and advances in livestock animals and in veterinary medicine , 2013 .

[90]  Daniel R. Rousse,et al.  Experimental and numerical characterization of thermal bridges in prefabricated building walls , 2010 .

[91]  Elena Lucchi,et al.  Thermal transmittance of historical brick masonries: A comparison among standard data, analytical calculation procedures, and in situ heat flow meter measurements , 2017 .

[92]  Roberto Montanini,et al.  Quantitative determination of subsurface defects in a reference specimen made of Plexiglas by means of lock-in and pulse phase infrared thermography , 2010 .

[93]  Giovanni Maria Carlomagno,et al.  Application of infrared thermography and geophysical methods for defect detection in architectural structures , 2005 .

[94]  T. Jayakumar,et al.  Infrared thermography for condition monitoring – A review , 2013 .

[95]  Giuseppe Peter Vanoli,et al.  Simplified state space representation for evaluating thermal bridges in building: Modelling, application and validation of a methodology , 2013 .

[96]  Albert Thumann.  Handbook of Energy Audits , 1979 .

[97]  Giuliano Dall'O'.  GREEN ENERGY AUDIT - Manuale operativo per la diagnosi energetica e ambientale degli edifici , 2011 .

[98]  S. F. Larsen,et al.  Determining the infrared reflectance of specular surfaces by using thermographic analysis , 2014 .

[99]  Stefano Gialanella,et al.  Assessment of the thermal emissivity value of building materials using an infrared thermovision technique emissometer , 2013 .

[100]  Tayfun Akin,et al.  A low-cost uncooled infrared microbolometer detector in standard CMOS technology , 2003 .