Michael Winburn can't see through walls, exactly.
But with the use of an infrared camera and other thermal imaging equipment, he can measure thermal energy in homes and office buildings.
The thermal energy lets Winburn, a Level 1 certified thermographer, see missing insulation, electrical problems, moisture intrusion and construction defects.
Winburn did his first infrared inspection in his own home in 2007.
"I thought it was too cold, so we bought area rugs, but it was still too cold," Winburn said. "Finally, I went up into the attic and found large areas that were not insulated."
fter the builder of Winburn's new home replaced the insulation in the attic, Winburn said he still thought that it was cold in the house, so he did an infrared inspection of the walls and found about 25 areas where insulation was missing.
"In a destructive manner, (the builder) verified what I told them," Winburn said.
Once the insulation panels were replaced, Winburn said his electric bill dropped about 18 percent from the same month the previous year, even with the addition of a pool, a freezer and two computers.
"Our gas bill went from $335 in January 2007 to $162 in January 2008," Winburn said. "The only thing that we did was insulate the house."
He then started Thermal Insight to help others find problems in their homes. A standard home inspection does not use infrared equipment.
Winburn said he believes that insulation is missing in most homes because workmanship is not what it once was and because insulators simply might miss sections. The insulation also could fall if it is not securely attached. Older homes also might have insulation that has fallen or shifted over the years.
"My home was extreme, I think," Winburn said. "But I have never found a perfect home."
The worst home Winburn found had 59 pieces of insulation missing, and the best home had only three pieces missing, he said.
"My electric bills were exorbitant," said Brian Silver, owner of a 5,700-square-foot home. "They were $800 to $900 a month, and there was nothing unusual that I was doing."
Silver said his air conditioner would never turn off. One room still would be 80 degrees.
"Mike brought out something from 'Star Wars' and found one whole wall had no insulation," Silver said.
Days later, the home was fixed, and Silver said there was a 20 percent difference in his bill the following month.
Although owners might not see a significant difference in their bills if there are only three missing pieces of insulation, Winburn said he always recommends having the walls fixed.
"When you bought a home, you bought an insulated home, not a mostly insulated home," he said.
Winburn said all homes built in the past five or six years should be checked because "the quality of workmanship during the housing boom is deplorable."
If there are rooms that always stay cold in the winter and warm in the summer or the air conditioning and heating units cycle on and off frequently, there could be insulation missing, Winburn said.
"Houses aren't square," Winburn said. "Sometimes, there's a perception that an exterior wall is an inside wall, so it's not insulated."
Even homes that are energy efficient can need insulation, Winburn said.
"I believe Energy Star is a prescription, but if it is not done correctly, it doesn't work," he said.
Winburn said most builders will fix the problems. He has been asked to speak only once to the "We look at each case on an individual basis," said Art Nadler, Nevada State Contractors Board representative.
The board will send an investigator to view the problem, and if it is determined that the builder needs to correct it and refuses to, a fine can be issued or the builder's license could be revoked.
"You have four years from when work was done to file a complaint," Nadler said. "This also applies to brand new homes."
Nadler said this law is in effect even when a warranty has expired.
Silver said the builder of his home was extremely receptive.
"They came out and did an inspection and fixed it in two days," he said.
Winburn also can look for electrical problems, water leaks and moisture in walls.
"If you know there is water, a contractor could say, 'OK, pull the whole wall out,' " he said.”I can pinpoint the intrusion."
Winburn has more than 20 years of experience in construction and said that when he became interested in thermal imaging, he went to school to learn the science behind it.
It will take Winburn about 90 minutes to inspect an average 2,500-square-foot home. He said he likes to educate the homeowner as he does it, and after examining his findings at his office, he presents a report with explanations and digital and infrared pictures. Homes must have a 20 to 25 degrees difference from the outside temperature, so inspections are done in the afternoon in the summer and the morning in the winter.
The inspection is 10 cents per square foot with a $250 minimum. If Winburn finds fewer than five problems, there is no charge.
For more information, visit www.athermalinsight.com or call 505-4747.
NATIONAL PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Winburn, President
Thermal Insight
Phone: 702-505-4747
FAX: 702-270-2960
E-Mail: info@athermalinsight.com
Website: http://www.athermalinsight.com
(Thermal Insight, Las Vegas, NV) – An emerging non-destructive technology helps homeowners and businesses to reduce their operating and energy costs while becoming much more energy efficient. Thermal Insight, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, provides home and business owners the opportunity to 'see' inside their homes and businesses like never before with Infrared (IR) technology.
Contact Michael Winburn at Thermal Insight or visit their website, http://www.athermalinsight.com, for more information.
The technology, known as "thermography" or "thermal imaging" is a technology that actually allows us to see and measure Infrared light or thermal energy which we commonly refer to as “heat”. This technology can be used in many circumstances where the identification of thermal patterns can be interpreted to find a variety of undesirable conditions. Thermal Insight can detect a variety of conditions such as missing insulation, electrical problems, faulty equipment, plumbing / water leakage, moisture problems, roof leaks, defective manufacturing processes and some structural defects to name a few. These conditions, in one form or another, lead to wasted energy, increased operating costs, equipment failures and costly breakdowns.
What is perhaps the most unique fact about this technology is its non-destructive nature. In the "less modern" days, for example, a homeowner would have a contractor come out to drill holes in a wall to physically inspect for the presence of insulation in a wall. In the new, more "technologically savvy world", a homeowner only needs to call Thermal Insight to perform an infrared inspection without drilling holes in the wall, thus allowing the homeowner to 'see' inside the walls without the costly, messy destructive method. This saves money and time.
Thermal Insight offers inspection services for Homes, Apartments, Commercial Buildings, Hospitals, Hotels, Casinos, Manufacturing Facilities, Shopping Malls, Warehouses, Cold Storage Facilities, Refrigerated Trucks & Trailers, Paving Contractors, Cars, Trucks, Machinery, Equipment, Veterinarians, Marine Services, Investigation Services and more. Using IR technology we can locate and identify problems not visible to the human eye.
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