How to Use a Digital Cam to Check for Heat Loss
With rising utility costs, energy efficiency is more important than ever. Although it can be difficult to ascertain where your home has weak points in its insulation, using a digital camera with an infrared filter can help you pinpoint exactly where your home needs help in holding down your energy costs. Although not as thorough as a professional thermo-graphic assessment, it can help you narrow down where your home needs extra insulation without a great deal of cost.
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Instructions
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Test your digital camera to see if it can sense infrared lighting. Turn it on and have someone point a remote control at it and press a button. If you can see a small red dot on your LCD, then your camera picks up infrared wavelengths.
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Purchase a filter for your camera that blocks out normal light. The Harrison and Harrison 88A filter works well and is inexpensive, but you can purchase an infrared filter online or at your local camera supply store. If your camera doesn't have a screw-in base for lenses, then you can purchase a gelatin filter that will attach to your lens like cling film.
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Take your camera out in front of your house at night with your filter in place. You may need to allow your camera extra exposure for an infrared image. Check with your camera store or your camera's manual. Be sure to have a level mount for your camera like a tripod or a steady surface, such as the top of your car, to place the camera for the extended exposure.
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Check the images from your camera. The lighter areas are where the heat is escaping from your home.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit infrared trees image by bawinner from Fotolia.com
