Thermal People

The green stimulus portion of President Obama’s recent economic stimulus plan contains earmarks for improving energy efficiency and the weatherization of low-income homes.  Weatherization programs include repairing or upgrading homes to make them more energy efficient.  This results in decreased energy usage and increased savings for the homeowner.  Infrared cameras are one of the most popular tools used for finding areas in homes that contribute to wasted energy, usually leaks or inadequate insulation. 

Infrared, or thermal, cameras work by detecting the varying temperatures in a room.  The camera’s screen displays a digital image, with different colors representing the different temperatures in the area.  The thermal camera allows the user to find areas with high levels of heat exchange.  High levels of heat exchange indicate that warm air inside the home is leaking out to cooler outside air or cooler inside air is leaking out to warmer outside air.  These areas are the targets for weatherization projects because they are the cause of wasted energy in the home.

With homes in the United States using more than 20% of all energy consumed in the country, there is plenty of room for improving the energy efficiency of homes.  Weatherization of a home can reduce the energy usage by an average of 30%.  More than six million homes qualify for assistance through Obama’s green stimulus package, and most of the nation’s remaining homes are candidates for some degree of weatherization. 

Thermography is certain to become one of the fastest-growing businesses within the next few years.  Although there is quite a bit of interest in this profession, the price of a thermal camera may be a limiting factor for some.  The RAZ-IR camera is a top-selling thermal camera that costs around $6,000, which is much lower than many other models.  This is still out of reach for some potential thermographers, though.  A good alternative is leasing a RAZ-IR infrared camera. 

First Pacific Funding offers a new financing program for those interested in leasing a RAZ-IR thermal camera.  These rentals have attractive lease to own terms, with low down payments and monthly payments of less than $100 a month.  This financing is a great opportunity for anyone that wants to enter the field of thermography but is short on money to invest in a business.  In today’s economy, it is a good idea to be cautious about spending large amounts of money.  Lease to own financing is an excellent way for an entrepreneur to start a thermography business without spending his or her life savings. 

A thermography business has the potential to become profitable in a short amount of time because there are so many people interested in improving the energy efficiency of their homes.  Many homeowners today opt to repair and upgrade their existing homes instead of buying new ones, and weatherization is often their first step.  With the help of an infrared camera, weatherization is the perfect way for homeowners to save money on utility bills and improve the energy efficiency of their homes.   

Submitted by, Hughes Daughtry on 2009-03-26

• Leasing Application for Thermal Camera
• First Pacific Funding