Thermal Imaging & BREEAM Compliance
Thermal Imaging & BREEAM Compliance
In the world of smart buildings and sustainable construction, electrical thermal imaging has emerged as an essential tool. By visualizing heat patterns in electrical systems, it helps facility managers spot potential faults early, before they escalate into costly or hazardous issues.
But thermal imaging isn’t just about safety and maintenance. It also plays a pivotal role in meeting BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) standards, a globally recognized benchmark for sustainable building performance. In this guide, we’ll dive into how thermal imaging supports BREEAM compliance, how inspections work, and why using FLIR-certified professionals is crucial for accurate results.
What Is Electrical Thermal Imaging?
Electrical thermal imaging uses infrared (IR) cameras to detect and visualize heat emitted by electrical components. All systems produce heat during operation, but when something’s running too hot, it’s often a sign of trouble.
Common issues identified through thermal imaging include:
- Overloaded circuits
- Loose or corroded connections
- Deteriorating insulation
- Failing components
These heat anomalies are captured in thermographic images, or thermograms, which use color gradients to highlight temperature differences. Trained technicians interpret these visuals to spot irregularities, identify risks, and recommend targeted actions.
Why It Matters: Thermal Imaging and BREEAM Compliance
BREEAM assesses how well a building performs across a range of sustainability metrics, including energy efficiency, resilience, and occupant safety. Electrical thermal imaging supports several key areas of the assessment:
- Uncovering energy inefficiencies like air leaks or poor insulation
- Identifying underperforming electrical systems before they impact operations
- Enhancing safety by spotting potential fire risks
Routine thermal inspections not only improve operational reliability but also contribute to BREEAM credits, boosting your building’s environmental credentials.
How Thermal Imaging Inspections Are Conducted
A successful thermal inspection involves more than just pointing a camera at a panel. Here’s a step-by-step look at what goes into a professional assessment:
1. Preparation
Before any scanning begins, technicians outline a clear scope: which systems will be inspected and under what operating conditions. Importantly, systems must be energized and under load to generate useful heat signatures.
Safety is also paramount. Proper PPE (personal protective equipment) and compliance with electrical safety protocols are non-negotiable.
2. Data Collection
With a plan in place, technicians use high-resolution IR cameras to scan:
- Distribution boards
- Circuit breakers
- Switchgear
- Transformers
- Cabling and terminations
Camera settings, like emissivity, reflected temperature, and focus, are carefully calibrated to ensure accurate readings.
3. Image Analysis
Interpreting thermograms is where experience matters. Technicians look for:
- Concentrated hot spots
- Unusual thermal gradients
- Components running hotter than others in the same system
They must differentiate between genuine faults and environmental effects (like sunlight or reflections), ensuring conclusions are data-driven and reliable.
4. Reporting and Recommendations
A thorough inspection report includes:
- Annotated thermographic images
- Temperature data
- Fault severity assessments
- Suggested next steps
When done in accordance with BREEAM protocols, these reports can directly support certification documentation and long-term building strategies.
FLIR Certification: Ensuring Accuracy and Reliability
While FLIR cameras are among the most trusted in the industry, certification is what separates amateurs from professionals. A FLIR-certified technician is trained to:
- Adjust settings based on surface types and environmental conditions
- Interpret thermal images accurately
- Avoid false positives and identify real faults
How Certification Works
Technicians complete tiered training (Level 1, Level 2, etc.), covering:
- Infrared physics and heat transfer
- Camera operation best practices
- Real-world fault detection scenarios
- Reporting standards aligned with industry and compliance frameworks
Certification ensures thermal inspections meet a consistent standard, essential when results impact building safety and certification outcomes.
Beyond Compliance: Practical Benefits of Thermal Imaging
Thermal imaging is more versatile than you might think. Its applications extend well beyond electrical inspections:
Building Diagnostics
Use thermal scans to identify:
- Heat loss through walls, windows, or roofs
- Moisture ingress and water leaks
- HVAC inefficiencies
These insights support preventative maintenance and smarter facility planning.
Energy Audits
Thermal imaging plays a key role in energy efficiency assessments, helping prioritize upgrades that cut emissions and lower utility bills, another boost for BREEAM scoring.
Ongoing Monitoring
In mission-critical environments, permanent thermal cameras can provide real-time data for predictive maintenance, ensuring equipment stays online and operational.
The Bottom Line
Electrical thermal imaging is a non-invasive, data-rich way to enhance building performance and safety. It’s a must-have for anyone aiming to:
- Maintain electrical integrity
- Reduce energy waste
- Meet BREEAM certification standards
- Avoid unexpected downtime and costly repairs
But success depends on two things: using the right equipment (like FLIR thermal cameras) and hiring trained, certified professionals to interpret the results.
Whether you’re managing a commercial facility, planning a retrofit, or pursuing green building credentials, thermal imaging is more than a helpful tool, it’s a strategic investment in your building’s future.
# About the Author
Darren Helliwell is a building performance specialist with over 25 years of hands-on experience leveraging thermal imaging, blower door testing, and smoke analysis to optimise air tightness in both new-build and refurbishment projects such as Battersea Power Station, Imperial War Museum and Harrods.
Using advanced infrared thermal imaging cameras alongside state-of-the-art blower door and smoke-testing equipment, Darren’s team delivers detailed thermographic surveys across residential and commercial buildings. These thermal imaging surveys pinpoint invisible air leaks, identify insulation defects, and reveal thermal bridging—empowering architects, contractors, and property owners to make targeted, energy-saving improvements.
Darren’s ongoing mission is to help design teams and contractors harness the power of thermal imaging to achieve truly airtight, energy-efficient building envelopes. By reducing heat loss and driving down energy bills, his thermography expertise supports sustainable, cost-effective construction and refurbishment outcomes.
Connect with Darren Helliwell:
[Thermal Imaging Surveys] Thermal Imaging Surveys | APT Building Thermography Reports
[APT Email] info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk
[LinkedIn] https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-helliwell-78789b26