Thermal Imaging Could Save You Money

Editor's note: The following contains material from a release from Sustainable Arlington and Arlington HEET.

Have you ever wondered how well—or poorly—insulated your house is? Here’s a chance to find that out.

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources is sponsoring a study comparing construction quality and insulation in buildings from different time periods.

As part of that study, up to 1,000 Arlington residents could have access to free energy-efficiency reports, identifying places where adding insulation and sealing gaps in construction can reduce costs associated with heating and cooling.

Woburn-based Sagewell will collect thermal images of building exteriors by driving through Arlington with hybrid vehicles equipped with energy auditing thermal cameras. An analysis of the thermal images will be available to building owners at no charge so they can see precisely where their home is losing heat, energy and money.

Thermal cameras record the temperature of the first object in front of them, whether a wall of a home, bushes in front or a pane of glass. They do not see through walls, according to Sagewell officials.

Sustainable Arlington and Arlington Home Energy Efficiency Team (A-HEET) are working with Sagewell to highlight the program and encourage residents to take advantage of it. 

The analysis reports will be available only to that building’s owner on a password-protected website.

Owners who want to request that their homes be included in the study can send an email to priority@sagewell.com. Sagewell officials said they cannot guarantee that a particular home will be included in the study. Alternatively, owners can “opt-out” of the study by sending an email to optout@sagewell.com or by calling 1-888-586-1726.