The air-tightness of a building is known as its air permeability or leakage rate. Air leakage can occur through gaps, holes and cracks in the fabric of the building envelope, which are not always visible.

Air leakage affects the building’s performance and is now firmly enshrined in Part L of the Building Regulations. Making a building substantially air tight reduces the amount of fuel needed to heat it, which in turn reduces the CO2 emissions.

We can inform clients of the most common faults that can cause a property to fail the air tightness test and guide them through the air tightness testing process from start to finish, helping them pass the air tightness test the first time. Our air tightness testing engineers are fully trained and accredited with ATTMA and will inform clients of the air tightness test results whilst still on-site.

Thermography is a tool for recording nearest surface temperatures and our technicians have the ability to correctly set up their cameras with the right object parameters for the given situation. Our high level training ensures that we correctly assess the inspection and apply the required thermographic technique.

We ensure that the correct object parameters are input prior to any inspection commencement including emissivity, ambient and t-refl temperatures, distance, humidity and any other associated values required for accurate thermographic image interpretation. Our knowledge ensures that for any application where there is either a temperature or emissivity differential, anomalies can be observed and expertly reported on utilising leading industry software.

Thermographic surveys are now a feature of BREEAM. Thermal imaging covers different BREEAM schemes, such as Man 01 (2011 BREEAM New Construction), Man 06 (2012 BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment) and Man 04 (2014 BREEAM New Construction). For both BREEAM New Construction and BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment programs, the both schemes offer credits for a Level 2 certified thermographic carrying out a suitable thermal survey.

The benefits of Thermal imaging of building fabric include:

• Identifying areas of missing/defective insulation
• Identifying areas at risk from mould & condensation
• Demonstrating compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations
• Providing quality control following the installation of cavity wall insulation
• Identifying thermal bridges