Here are some thermal camera images taken inside our house in December, the first month of summer. When these pics were taken, the outside temperature was 37°C and inside it was 24°C. The numerical temperatures shown by the camera are only approximate, however the colour coding (hotter colour = hotter temperature) is what is important here.
(Above) The western brick feature wall in the lounge room, with the TV that is mounted on it switched on. The wall can be seen to be cooler than the surrounding plasterboard, and especially cooler than the plasterboard wall that adjoins the roof space (top). The brick wall is a little warmer than the concrete slab (bottom). As can be seen, TVs release quite a lot of heat!(Above) The western double glazed, thermally broken aluminium framed door. Compared to the surrounding walls, the door allows the transfer of a lot of heat.(Above) Heat transmission through the wall insulation, upper south-east corner in the library. This has been sensed through the plasterboard – too late to fix now! Looking at a photo of the insulated wall taken before the plasterboard was installed, it appears the gap may be between the two upper timber plates. The evidence for this is that the heat entry extends past multiple bays in the framework – it would be unlikely I left gaps in the insulation in two adjoining bays. I sealed many of the gaps in the timber framework, but obviously not this one.(Above) Heat transmission around a downlight not yet sealed to the ceiling. The downlights that have been sealed show no detectable heat transmission (remembering that all the downlights are covered with ceiling insulation).
A thermal camera is a vital tool in assessing how a house is performing. If you are building, it’s worthwhile buying one.
Australian Passive Solar Home 
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