Finding heat leaks with a drone: from flight to report
A building loses energy in places you can't see from outside: interrupted insulation, a cold bridge, moisture drawing into the structure. A thermographic drone flight makes those losses visible — and measurable.
Why does this matter?
Insulation faults and cold bridges cost money every winter, and water infiltration noticed too late causes mould and structural damage. The problem: from outside you see nothing of it. Only temperature reveals where heat escapes or where moisture sits — and that is exactly what makes thermography so valuable for roofs and facades.
How does this work in practice?
A typical path starts with planning: we measure in the cold season, heating on, preferably at sunset or early morning, so the inside-outside difference is large and there is no solar heat in the facade. During the flight we systematically scan the roof and all facades with a Matrice 30T, radiometrically. In the analysis we read the patterns: cold or warm zones point to missing insulation, line-shaped anomalies to cold bridges at joins, and abnormal heating patterns to moisture zones. The report bundles every finding per zone, with a thermal and visual image and a location.
Common mistakes
- Measuring during the day or in summer. The solar load completely masks the insulation faults.
- Measuring only the roof or only the facade. Heat loss often sits right at the joins between the two.
- Measuring just after rain. A wet surface cools unevenly and distorts the pattern.
- No delta-T. Without enough inside-outside difference there is nothing to see.
Why with a drone?
A drone reaches roofs and tall facades without scaffolding or climbing, and captures the entire building envelope in one consistent measurement. You see the whole rather than isolated samples, and the flight is repeatable, so after a renovation you can check exactly whether the leak is gone.
Why Droneview?
Droneview is EASA-certified and measures radiometrically with the Matrice 30T, with experience in insulation checks and water-infiltration detection. Our report shows not only where the leak is, but how large the difference is — useful for the contractor and the renovation decision.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cold bridge (thermal bridge)?
A cold bridge is a spot where heat escapes more easily than in the surrounding construction, for example at a balcony, window join or concrete edge. In thermography it appears as a line or patch of different temperature.
Can a drone see moisture in a wall or roof?
Indirectly. Moisture changes a material's heat conduction and capacity, so wet zones show a different heating or cooling pattern than dry ones. That pattern reveals the water infiltration.
When is it best to measure for heat loss?
During a large temperature difference between inside and outside, so rather in the cold season with heating on, and preferably at sunset or early morning to avoid stored solar heat.
Will I get a report per zone?
Yes. Every finding — insulation fault, cold bridge or moisture zone — is localised and documented with a thermal and visual image, so a contractor can act in a targeted way.
Suspect heat loss or moisture in your building?
A thermographic drone flight shows where the heat escapes — measurable and documented per zone.
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