Thermal Imaging of Post Frame and Other Construction Methods

This article is written by John Fullerton based upon a report prepared for the National Frame Building Association by Double G Consulting, and appears in Frame Building News magazine. The purpose of this study was to illustrate points of heat transfer in different building types using thermographic images.  Builders and design professionals familiar with post-frame buildings know that they use fewer structural components for an exceptionally economical, energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly building because fewer structural members are needed, creating wide spaces between posts with fewer breaks in insulation, and that wood has natural insulating properties compared to steel or masonry structural components. Post frame construction is therefore believed to reduce some of the heat transfer observed in other construction methods due to wider insulation cavities and less thermal bridging. To illustrate these concepts, thermal images were captured to provide visual examples of heat transfer.  The images highlight inefficiencies that may be caused by thermal bridging effects of non-wood structural components, compressed insulation and interruptions in contiguous insulation.

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