#dronethermalimaging

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The Energy Efficiency of your Home

A recent BBC news report states that more than two-thirds of UK homes are failing to meet energy efficiency targets which means that more than 12 million homes fall below the C grade on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). Thermal imaging of your home is a fast and effective way to check your energy efficiency as areas of poor insulation, thermal bridging, and heat loss are easily pinpointed.  A drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera in the hands of a qualified thermographer and a flight undertaken under the correct conditions can provide you with a wealth of information that can help you to reduce your energy bills and save money over the long term.  If you are selling your home, then a visual image of your home’s thermal efficiency can be a valuable tool to persuade your buyers to go ahead. Aerial Thermal Surveys The ease of deploying a UAV or drone fitted with a thermal camera versus the cost and inconvenience of scaffolding or a cherry picker means that thermal roof surveys also become both simple and cost-effective – whatever the size of your property. Poorly insulated areas can quickly be identified with targeted maintenance than being carried out to make sure your ‘home’s hat’ is retaining the maximum amount of heat for you to enjoy during the colder months. Drone Media Imaging can arrange for a thermal survey to be carried out in your home with just a few simple, non-invasive flights.  We are happy to advise you in detail the conditions required to be able to create an accurate picture of your home’s heating efficiency. As a guide… There needs to be 10°c difference between the internal and external temperatures. For this reason, we recommend surveys be carried out during the winter months when the outside weather is cooler and your heating is working at full capacity – this will naturally create the required temperature difference.  If you are looking to gain a thermal picture of a building that doesn’t have functioning central heating, you can employ temporary space heaters for a period to create the same effect. Thermal surveys should be carried out when the surfaces are dry so evaporating moisture doesn’t affect the exterior temperature and therefore the resulting thermal image. Winds should be low to avoid altering surface temperatures and to enable safe drone flight. Surveys take place during the evenings to make sure that the effect of the sun’s rays has had time to dissipate. Thermal images capture reflected heat and so exterior surfaces need to be free of solar radiation to avoid any interference with the finished image. Drone Media Imaging are qualified thermographers with state of the art camera and drone equipment.  If you’d like to minimise your heating bills by looking at the integrity of your insulation and identifying areas for improvement, then just get in touch with Drone Media Imaging and we are happy to help.  #domesticthermalimagery #dronepilotsuk #dronethermalimaging #dronethermalimaginguk #drones #homeenergyefficiency

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Solar Panels and Drone Thermal Imaging

Solar energy is becoming more and more popular with both domestic and commercial customers alike. An increasing focus on the perils of climate change has led to a surge in interest regarding renewable energy sources and you don’t have to travel far before you find roof mounted solar panels.   With such interest showing no signs of slowing, solar panels are bound to become more and more part of our everyday lives. How do they Work? When photons or light particle hits the surface of a Photo Voltaic (PV) cell, they knock electrons loose from their atoms.  Where conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides of a cell, this forms an electrical current through which the electrons can flow and generate electricity. These PV cells are linked together to form a solar panel and, in some cases, panels are linked together to form an array. Each of these cells work together in the light of the sun to generate electricity which is fed to an inverter.  The inverter converts the DC current into AC which can be fed into the electrical grid.  Inverters also provide tracking statistics and ground fault protection. How does Thermal Imaging Work? A thermal imaging camera works just in the same way any other camera in that it creates an image via a lens.  However, instead of using visible light as a standard camera would, a thermal imaging camera uses infrared waves and focuses these onto a specialised sensor to create a ‘thermal profile’ of the reflected heat of a surface in comparison with the areas around it.  It can’t see through walls (or clothing despite what some movies suggest!) but instead, it provides an excellent method under the right conditions on assessing heat loss from a building or monitoring solar panel efficiency. How can Drones Assess Solar Panel Effectiveness? A drone mounted thermal imaging camera can offer the perfect solution for assessing the effectiveness of solar panels whether they are in large arrays such as a solar farm or roof mounted domestic installations.  Having a camera in the sky allows a drone pilot to cover large areas quickly and effectively and survey roof panels without the need for ladders, scaffolding or cherry pickers. Flown under the right conditions in the hands of a thermography qualified pilot, a drone thermal image can pinpoint defective modules, highlight future problems and even show panels that are defective to the point of being dangerous. Regular inspection flights can be scheduled with minimal disruption and only a short amount of air time is necessary particularly in the case of domestic installations so peace of mind as to your solar panel’s safety and efficiency can be obtained relatively quickly and cheaply.  #dronethermalimaging #drones #dronesandsolarpanels #solarpanelefficiency #solarpanelmaintenance #thermalimagingandsolarpanels #ukdronepilots  

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