ASSESSING THE THERMAL INSULATION OF OLD BUILDINGS - THE NEED FOR IN-SITU SPOT MEASUREMENTS OF THERMAL-RESISTANCE AND PLANAR INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY

This article reports on a methodology to determine the level of therma l insulation in old buildings through spot measurements of thermal res istance and planar infrared thermography. An old building due for reno vation is used as a test case and the two methods are combined in orde r to obtain a total view of the building envelope. The existence of th e thermal leaks on the building shell are documented and are quantifie d through the synchronous use of the results from spot measurements an d infrared thermography analysis. The methodology proposed proves to b e reliable and can also be used for non-destructive tests of the therm al characteristics of new buildings, or old buildings after renovation . (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.