Skip to main content

Choosing guide

How should you choose thermal imaging cameras?

Thermal images can record accessible surface-temperature patterns, but they cannot identify a cause or complete a building diagnosis.

Review the category evidence sources.

Evidence sources

  • Thermal Imaging

    Historic England · England technical guidance

    Supports: Thermography records surface heat-energy variation and needs building context for interpretation. Electrical thermography involving removed covers is live work and outside homeowner observation.

    Checked .

  • Electrical safety: frequently asked questions

    Health and Safety Executive · Great Britain workplace safety

    Supports: It is never absolutely safe to work on live electrical equipment. Live work is limited to exceptional justified circumstances with precautions.

    Checked .

  • Safe use of ladders and stepladders

    Health and Safety Executive · Great Britain workplace safety

    Supports: Ladders require a proportionate risk assessment and are not automatically the first choice. The correct equipment and competent safe use are required.

    Checked .

How to choose

  • Compare thermal resolution, stated accuracy, temperature range and minimum focus distance for the intended conditions.
  • Check whether emissivity, reflected temperature and measurement settings are explained and can be recorded with each image.
  • Check device compatibility, original-image export, calibration information and the manufacturer's support period.

What it cannot establish

  • Weather, heating state, reflections, surface finish and building history can change the pattern.
  • Use a suitably qualified surveyor when a costly repair, damp conclusion, electrical concern or formal finding depends on interpretation.

You may not need this product if…

  • An existing device or a simple record already answers the decision you need to make.
  • You need a one-off professional assessment rather than repeat observations.
  • Using the product would move beyond the stated safety boundary.

Products with a current shop link

No shop link to show

No thermal-imaging shop product is currently cleared. Current Homecode safety rules do not permit product placement for this category.

Homecode does not take payment, take orders or run a checkout. No shop link is shown. No product and shop have yet passed the relevance, commerce and safety checks for this placement.