Thermporal: An Easy-To-Deploy Temporal Thermographic Sensor System to Support Residential Energy Audits

Underperforming, degraded, and missing insulation in US residential buildings is common. Detecting these issues, however, can be difficult. Using thermal cameras during energy audits can aid in locating potential insulation issues, but prior work indicates it is challenging to determine their severity using thermal imagery alone. In this work, we present an easy-to-deploy, temporal thermographic sensor system designed to support residential energy audits through quantitative analysis of building envelope performance. We then offer an evaluation of the system through two studies: (i) a one-week, in-home field study in five homes and (ii) a semi-structured interview study with five professional energy auditors. Our results show our system helps raise awareness, improves homeowners' ability to gauge the severity of issues, and provides opportunities for new interactions between homeowners, building data, and professional auditors.