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and Building Shell Analysis

Barb Yankie
Homes +, Inc.

Abstract A national survey of home performance contractors, conducted in 2003 by the California
Energy Commission, concluded that most contractors are not aware of how valuable a
tool for shell analysis infrared imagery can be. It also deduced that most contractors
have not considered the added value of thermal imagery within a customer report or
analysis when subcontractors are being directed in insulation and air sealing.

Compounding air and thermal flaws can sometimes make it difficult to “see the forest for
the trees” when using less insightful diagnostics. Qualitative infrared images can cut
through the confusion with a very visual and revealing version of the building dynamics.

IR is fast becoming an inspection procedure which is commonly recognized and requested

by customers. This paper will identify some of the techniques using thermography
which can be employed to analyze and solve problems with the building envelope.

Keywords Energy audit, air infiltration, heat loss, blower door, building envelope,
new construction

Energy Audit One definition of an energy audit, according

to The Free Dictionary, is “An evaluation of
energy consumption, as in a home or business,
to determine ways in which energy can be con-
served”. This can encompass and lead to many
different types of investigations.

The main role of an energy auditor is to iden-

tify sources of heat loss and air leakage in build-
ing envelopes. However, during the audit other
problems can also be identified. The infrared
camera, when used with a blower door, can
greatly enhance these types of investigations.

Energy audits are performed for a number of reasons, including: (1) uncovering a wide
array of problems in an existing structure, (2) determining what improvements can be
made to increase energy efficiency, (3) qualifying a structure for an Energy Efficiency
mortgage or loan, or (4) certifying a home as Energy Star or LEEDS.

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 Of the many problems that could occur within a structure, the three primary areas of
concern during an energy audit are air leakage, thermal flaws, and inefficient design
practices that happen in new construction.

Air Leakage Air movement occurring within building cavities can be as important to energy effi-
ciency as exterior air penetrating the interior of the building. This type of air movement
lowers the interior temperature, increasing conduction from interior spaces. In effect,
interior wall cavities may behave like exterior walls if enough unconditioned air is
allowed to move through them.

Building cavities that allow this type of heat loss include soffits for kitchen cabinets,
open-core block party walls; chases for ductwork; plumbing walls; and walls adjacent
to interior stairwells.

Indication of heat loss from HVAC ductwork in soffit.

This type of heat loss is most severe in multi-unit buildings because of the large amount
of interior surface area involved. It affects not only energy use, but occupant comfort
and building durability as well. Traditional blower door diagnostics may not find the
major problems associated with multifamily buildings.

Performing a combination of blower door testing and infrared scanning can sometimes
help to diagnose these problems. The building’s interior is first scanned to determine
how the building appears when no blower door is inducing pressure. A blower door is
then used to draw air through building cavities from the attic or the exterior. Air move-

Indication of air infiltration from a party wall between two units.

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 ment will quickly become visible with the infrared camera. The building or unit can
also be pressurized and a scan done in the attic to determine problem areas of the attic
floor. This technique is usually quicker and more accurate than a visual inspection alone.

Another building cavity that often creates problems is the joist space in any upper story
that overhangs a lower story.

Thermal Flaws Infrared scanning can be used to assess the performance and completeness of wall and
ceiling insulation. In new construction, the best results can be achieved before the dry-
wall is installed. When performing the scan, depressurize the house to increase the inter-
nal airflow. This will allow you to perform this inspection without having a 20°F ∆T.

To properly size HVAC equipment, you can use infiltration measurements and verify
thermal envelope performance using an infrared camera. In most cases, equipment and
duct systems can be downsized. This downsizing further improves performance by allow-
ing more of the ductwork to be installed inside the thermal envelope. Products and equip-
ment need to be carefully installed and performance verified with field testing.

It is not uncommon to have heat leaving the building during the winter from side attics
located at the top of the building. Infrared thermography is well suited to help unravel
the assortment of side attic problems. Compounding air and thermal flaws can some-
times make it difficult to identify when using less insightful diagnostics. Qualitative
infrared images can cut through the confusion with a very visual and revealing version
of the building dynamics. However, the infrared camera alone may not pick up this
dynamic during the winter months. Therefore it is important to depressurize the build-
ing with a blower door fan to move cold outside and attic air into the heated space. This
procedure will better reveal and sort out the various thermal flaws, by-passes and air
leakage areas with greater accuracy.

The same features that are often

added to the top story of homes to
give them distinctive architectural
beauty can also make them difficult
to heat or retrofit. One-and-a-half-
story houses, like a Cape Cod, are
typical of those that pose tricky
insulation and air sealing problems.
Dormers and kneewalls require
numerous transitions in the fram-
ing called key junctures. Key junc-
tures are openings in the frame of A blower door can be used to help define air
the building which are often hidden leakage & thermal flaws through key junctures.
from view at intersections between
walls, floors, porches, and ceilings. Ideally, a complicated house should be diagnosed
and inspected using a blower door and an infrared camera together. When viewed with
an infrared camera alone, however, there is no question that they are energy “losers.”

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New Construction “A picture is worth a thousand words” was never more true than when you are work-
ing with someone who’s attitude is “I’ve been doing it my way for twenty years and
I’ve never had a problem.”

Indications of air infiltration over kitchen cabinets at cathedral ceiling

An IR camera is extremely effective in convincing and training builders and contractors.

Most of the clients I work with have come to depend on my IR findings to help them
improve their product’s efficiency. Since I’ve been using the camera, I now arrive at a
construction site with the foreman eager to see what I find. They are impatient to know
if they have improved since their last home, and they rarely make the same mistake twice.

The camera has also helped me to convince and train a number of insulation and HVAC
installers. Some of my clients are even starting to use my services as a selling tool for
their products.

Missing insulation in bathroom walls

Conclusion Equipment costs (IR camera, blower door, etc.) constrain some contractors, but it also
appears that most contractors are not aware of how valuable a tool IR imagery can be.
As the use of thermography in the building science industry becomes better known, the
call for energy audits will grow. Comments such as “My insulation is just fine” and “I
need new windows” can be countered by an energy audit. An infrared camera helps to
easily convince the client of your findings. As thermography becomes progressively
more recognized and requested by savvy customers, we will see an increase in the use
of our services.

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