BY TYREL LINKHORNBLADE BUSINESS WRITER
Owens Corning has developed mobile app that allows homeowners and contractors to identify and track heat loss in around windows, doors, and vents by using a reasonably affordable thermal camera that snaps onto smartphones and tables.
"This is an emerging technology and as we tend to see prices go downward one these things and capabilities go up, we think we're on the front end of something really huge here," said Trey McNamee, OC's retail marketing manager.
The mobile app is specifically designed to work with infrared cameras made by Flir Systems, an imaging company based near Portland, Ore. The app is free. The Flir One camera retails for about $250.
The camera is able to see temperatures in a way our eyes cannot. By using it with the OC app, homeowners can search out drafty doors or underinsulated walls that are allowing heat to escape — thus driving up energy bills.
Mr. McNamee said the application is essentially a point-and-shoot energy assessment, walking the user through the entire process.
The app uses live weather information to be able to tell the temperatures inside and outside the home. It then produces a report that tells the user how to fix any issues.
"We actually make a recommendation right there in the app as far as what products are recommended based on location in the country and what your building code recommends for insulation," Mr. McNamee said.
Using thermal cameras is not new within the construction industry, but officials with OC say the relative affordability of the Flir camera combined with their app is unique.
OC says it has a patent pending for the process.
"This kind of brings it to the masses," Mr. McNamee said. "It's being picked up both by homeowners who like toys like this, and we're helping to get this out into the contractor channel that they can use as a sales tool to get out and make homes more comfortable."
OC and Flir worked on the project more than a year ago. OC came up with the app concept and contracted with a developer to produce it.
The iOS version of the app for iPhones and iPads has been available since June, while the Android version just recently launched. A company spokesman said OC has only recently begun to aggressively market the product.
The camera is able to detect temperatures between minus 4 to 248 degrees Fahrenheit, and is sensitive to temperature differences as small as two-tenths of a degree.
Contact Tyrel Linkhorn at tlinkhorn@theblade.com or 419-724-6134 or on Twitter @BladeAutoWriter.
Source: Owens Corning thermal phone app identifies heat loss
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