Infrared thermography is a non-contact diagnostic technique that measures and visualizes temperature differences across the surface of an object. Every material above absolute zero (−273.15 °C) emits infrared radiation. A thermal imaging camera captures this radiation and converts it into a temperature-mapped image called a thermogram.

By analysing the thermal patterns, thermographers can identify hidden anomalies such as loose electrical terminations, phase imbalance, overloaded circuits, deteriorating MCCBs, failing mechanical components, moisture ingress, insulation breakdown, and areas of abnormal heat loss or gain.

Thermographic inspections are used across electrical, mechanical, building, HVAC, and industrial applications for preventive maintenance, risk reduction, energy efficiency, and insurance compliance. The technique enables early detection of faults before they develop into failures, downtime, safety hazards, or costly damage.

Infrared inspection (thermal imaging) is a non-contact diagnostic method used to detect hidden faults, abnormal heat patterns, and developing risks across electrical, mechanical, and building systems. It provides real-time temperature mapping, revealing issues that are not visible during a normal visual inspection.

Electrical faults: Detects hotspots caused by loose or high-resistance terminations, phase imbalance, overloaded circuits, failing MCCBs/MCBs, neutral overload, undersized conductors, deteriorating busbars, and uneven load distribution. These conditions often precede equipment failure or electrical fire.

Moisture ingress: Identifies temperature anomalies associated with moisture trapped in ceilings, walls, cold-room panels, or insulation. Early detection prevents structural damage, panel delamination, corrosion, and mould development.

Insulation deficiencies: Locates damaged or missing insulation in buildings, HVAC systems, cold storage rooms, and industrial equipment. Poor insulation results in unnecessary energy loss, thermal bridging, and compromised system efficiency.

Mechanical failures: Reveals abnormal heat signatures in motors, pumps, bearings, gearboxes, and rotating equipment. Thermal patterns may indicate misalignment, bearing wear, over-lubrication or under-lubrication, belt tension issues, or internal component degradation.

Energy losses and efficiency issues: Highlights excessive heat loss or heat gain in thermal systems, air leakage, poor sealing, and compromised envelopes — supporting energy audits, optimisation studies, and ISO 50001 improvement processes.

In essence, infrared inspection enables early detection of faults before they escalate into downtime, equipment failure, fire hazards, or costly operational disruptions.

Yes — infrared thermographic inspections are specifically intended to be carried out without any service interruptions. Because thermal imaging is a non-contact, non-invasive technique, electrical and mechanical systems can remain fully energised and operating under normal load while the assessment is performed.

Inspecting equipment live ensures that thermal signatures are captured under true operating conditions, allowing accurate identification of electrical faults, phase imbalance, high-resistance joints, mechanical wear, insulation breakdown, and other load-dependent anomalies.

In limited cases, access restrictions, panel design, or safety protocols (e.g., arc-flash boundaries, confined spaces, or isolated zones) may require temporary shutdown of specific equipment. When this is unavoidable, we coordinate closely with your team to maintain safety and minimise operational impact.

Overall, the ability to assess energised systems is one of the main advantages of thermography — enabling early fault detection while maintaining continuity, uptime, and production integrity.

At the end of the thermographic inspection, you will receive a professionally structured, insurance-compliant report detailing all findings, measurements, and recommended corrective actions. The report includes:

• Executive Summary: A concise overview of the overall system condition, critical risks, and priority actions.
• Inspection Methodology: Equipment used (camera model, emissivity settings), survey conditions, operating loads, environmental factors, and any limitations encountered.
• Annotated Thermal Images: Side-by-side thermal and visual images for each finding, including temperature measurements, ΔT (delta-temperature), and observed patterns.
• Findings & Technical Observations: Detailed explanations of each anomaly, including phase information, load balance, contributing factors, and the likely failure mode.
• Risk Severity Classification: Each issue rated using a structured severity scale (e.g., P1–P4 or Critical / Serious / Moderate / Low) for insurance and engineering compliance.
• Recommendations: Clear corrective actions prioritised according to risk, safety relevance, thermal severity, and operational impact.
• Conclusion & Full Appendix: Summary of the site condition, as well as a complete appendix containing all thermal images, notes, and supporting data.

Your completed report is issued within 24 hours of the survey, ensuring rapid feedback for maintenance teams, engineering reviewers, or insurers.

Even in a brand-new facility with newly installed switchgear, DBs, and mechanical equipment, an infrared thermographic survey remains essential for verifying installation quality, detecting early defects, and establishing a performance baseline. New equipment does not guarantee defect-free operation. Key reasons include:

• Early Detection of Hidden Defects: Manufacturing variances, incorrect crimping, under-torqued lugs, poor ferrule installation, and internal component defects often go undetected during commissioning — but show up immediately under thermal load.
• Installation Quality Verification: A thermographic scan confirms that all terminations, breakers, busbars, and cable joints are performing correctly under actual operating load. This protects warranties and ensures the installation meets design specifications.
• Baseline Thermal Signature: A new-build survey provides reference thermal data for future comparisons — critical for trend analysis, preventative maintenance, and insurance audits.
• Load and Phase Balance Confirmation: Even new systems can suffer from uneven load distribution or incorrectly allocated circuits. Thermography visually confirms balanced operation and identifies issues early.
• Energy-Efficiency Validation: In newly commissioned facilities, thermal imaging helps uncover HVAC inefficiencies, insulation gaps, and thermal bridging before they cause unnecessary energy loss.
• Fire and Safety Risk Reduction: New installations can still contain latent hazards such as loose terminations, faulty MCCBs, or incorrectly fitted cables — all potential fire-risk points detectable through thermal inspection.

A new facility deserves verified assurance. Infrared thermography provides the first independent confirmation that your electrical and mechanical systems are safe, correctly installed, and operating exactly as intended from day one.

Insurance companies request infrared thermographic inspections because they significantly reduce electrical risk, improve policy compliance, and provide verifiable evidence of equipment condition. The findings directly impact the likelihood and severity of fire-related claims — one of the highest-loss categories for insurers.

• Risk Mitigation: Thermal imaging detects overheating breakers, loose terminations, phase imbalance, overloaded circuits, and deteriorated switchgear before they develop into electrical fires or equipment failure — reducing the insurer’s exposure to major losses.
• Documented Proof of Condition: A thermographic report provides timestamped, image-based evidence of system health. This protects both the insurer and insured by clarifying pre-loss condition and speeding up claim validation.
• Premium and Policy Benefits: Many insurers offer improved premiums, favourable underwriting terms, or reduced excess when clients demonstrate proactive risk management by performing annual infrared inspections.
• Compliance for High-Risk Environments: Industrial, commercial, and high-load facilities are often required by underwriters to undergo annual thermographic assessments as part of their risk compliance obligations — particularly where continuous electrical load is present.
• Improved Underwriting Accuracy: Thermal data allows insurers to assess the true risk profile of a facility, ensuring coverage reflects real conditions and helping prevent disputes related to undisclosed hazards.

In short, infrared inspections are a proven risk-reduction tool. They help insurers prevent costly losses while giving clients confidence that their electrical infrastructure is safe, compliant, and fully documented.