Managing a more energy-effective facility with Testo thermal imaging

The facilities management market is worth around $10 billion in Australia, according to an Ibis World report – and this figure is only set to grow further with the Department of Energy’s National Energy Productivity Plan.

Aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings nationwide by up to 40 per cent between 2015 and 2030, the Plan requires a dedicated and effective approach to managing leaks and anomalies in a building’s heating or air conditioning system.

Best practice when managing energy efficiency comes down to being equipped with the tools to analyse the thermal map of your facility, be it multi-unit residential, a commercial building or mixed-use property. The most accurate tools, such as the teso 871 and 872, can save building managers a significant amount of time and money.

Why Thermal Imaging?

Building managers need thermal imaging for numerous important functions involved in managing an energy-efficient facility, such as identifying breaks in a heating system.

The issues that stem from leaks include:

• Water stains on the floor or in the walls.
• Irregular water temperature.
• Rot and mould growth.

However, the problem with addressing these common breaks lies in identifying their source. Typically, facility managers would have to dismantle walls or floors to find leaks – but with thermal imaging devices, they can locate the leak without costly intrusion.

Thermal imaging also has a number of other useful applications. These devices can be used to assess a range of facility Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, ensuring no energy is being lost or wasted.

Specific applications include mapping underfloor heating systems, inspecting radiators and air control systems, and checking electrical plants for anomalies. Testo offer a line of thermal imaging products to suit these situations, including the testo 871 & 872 devices.

Testo’s 871 thermal imaging device helps to detect energy inefficiencies in your facility without invasive maintenance.

The testo 871 & 872

These thermal imaging devices, alongside the testo 865, testo 868 and testo 875i, are perfect for detecting and visualising defects in your HVAC systems. Features common to the entire range include:

• High resolution 3.5 inch display.
• Performance analysis software to ensure the device always stays working to its full potential.
• Advanced database which can log up to 2,000 thermal maps and images.

The testo 871 offers an infrared resolution of 240 x 180 pixels, thermal sensitivity of more than 90 mK and has an integrated digital camera for improved imaging capture.

Meanwhile, testo 872 offers SuperResolution technology of 640 x 480 pixels, both in-device and for the smartphone app, and laser marker technology for precision monitoring.

Facility management encompasses a number of important responsibilities – make energy efficiency the least of your worries by contacting the Testo team today for more information on our thermal imaging devices.