Thermal cameras have become one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) tools available to homeowners. They promise instant insight into heat loss, insulation problems, draughts and heating system performance. But used incorrectly, they don’t just mislead, they actively send you chasing problems that don’t exist.
Instead of treating thermal imaging as a magic truth-telling device, our video explains what these cameras actually see and why so many scans produce confident but completely wrong conclusions. The difference comes down to understanding radiation, surface behaviour and context… not just pointing the camera and trusting the colours.
This is especially critical for homes running low-temperature heating systems, such as heat pumps and underfloor heating. At lower flow temperatures, inefficiencies are harder to feel by hand, but they still show up clearly if you know when and how to look.
The video explores why reflective surfaces lie, how emissivity settings can throw readings off by double-digit degrees and why many scans fail simply because the temperature difference isn’t large enough to reveal anything meaningful. It also shows why timing matters, from early-morning insulation scans to watching heating systems warm up in real time.
If you own a thermal camera, are considering buying one, or want to understand your heating system beyond “it feels warm”, you should probably watch this video.
We used the Thermalmaster P3 thermal imaging camera in this video, which you can buy here: https://thermalmaster.com/hgbpnuijlf
And don’t forget to use the 10% discount code at checkout: RENEW10