Glossary of terms

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Infrared thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted by every body above 0 Kelvin (−273 °C). The amount of radiation depends on the temperature and the emissivity of the body.

The emissivity of an object depends on the material and the structure of its surface. This specifies how much infrared thermal radiation the object emits compared with an ideal radiant warmer (black body, emissivity ε = 1) and accordingly has a value between 0 and 1.

A thermal bridge is defined as a position on the external wall of a building, where there is a localised increase in heat loss due to a structural defect.

Thermal bridges can lead to an increased risk of mould.

The reflected temperature is the thermal radiation that is not emitted by the object itself. Depending on the structure and material, background radiation is reflected in the object to be measured, therefore distorting the actual temperature result.

The distance between the object being measured and the measuring tool influences the captured area size per pixel. You can capture increasingly large objects as the distance from the object becomes greater.

Distance (m)

Size of infrared pixels (mm)

Infrared range width × height (m)

0.5

3

–0.5 × 0.4

1

6

–1 × 0.75

2

12

–2.05 × 1.5

5

30

–5.1 × 3.8