Thermography is a tool used to record thermal energy

It has evolved into an important tool in building services, energy and environmental engineering. The visualisation of surface temperatures and the resulting heat flows are significant not only from a technical point of view, but can also be used to rapidly demonstrate energy flows and energy losses to laypersons. A great deal of experience and expertise is required to interpret a thermographic image accurately.

In thermography, the thermal radiation of a body is translated into a coloured image. To determine exact values with the aid of a thermal imaging camera, however, the emissivity of the surface must be known. A body with different surface structures has a large spread of values and so the radiation emitted can be different. The camera then images this in different colours.