ISO 6781-1:2023

Overview

ISO 6781-1:2023 - Performance of buildings - Detection of heat, air and moisture irregularities in buildings by infrared methods - Part 1: General procedures - defines general requirements and methodologies for building infrared thermography (thermal imaging) services. It helps users specify the scope of thermographic services, understand equipment condition and calibration, set personnel qualifications, and standardize reporting and interpretation of results. The standard applies to residential, commercial, institutional and special-use buildings and is the first part of the ISO 6781 series addressing general procedures.

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 6781-1 covers practical and technical elements needed for repeatable, reliable thermographic inspections:

• Thermography techniques: comparative qualitative and quantitative thermography, limitations and best practices.
• Equipment requirements: camera capabilities, calibration, spot radiometry (non-contact infrared radiometry), and field measurement of emissivity and reflected apparent temperature.
• Personnel qualification: roles and minimum qualification guidance for operators, image analysts and report authors for different building types.
• Moisture and air leakage detection: thermographic indicators for moisture and air movement plus guidance on combined methods.
• Supporting diagnostic methods: use of fan pressurization, tracer gas, heat-flow meters, moisture meters and RH sensors to validate thermographic findings.
• Data collection & baseline monitoring: systematic collection, condition monitoring and survey intervals for repeat surveys.
• Safety and reporting: pro-forma safety guidance, structured test-report content, diagnosis/prognosis and severity criteria for anomalies.
• Annexes: normative safety rules and emissivity measurement procedures; informative examples of detected faults and anomalies.

Practical applications

ISO 6781-1 is designed to standardize and improve the practical use of thermal imaging for:

• Locating thermal insulation defects and thermal bridges
• Identifying moisture intrusion, dampness and condensation risks
• Detecting air leakage paths and poor air sealing
• Building commissioning, quality-control inspections and periodic condition monitoring
• Prioritizing repairs and validating remediation effectiveness

Using thermography per this standard supports energy audits, building performance assessments, forensic investigations and preventative maintenance programs.

Who should use this standard?

• Building energy auditors and thermography contractors
• Facility managers and building owners
• Commissioning agents and construction quality-control teams
• Building surveyors, consultants and forensic engineers
• Standards developers and regulatory bodies

Related standards

• ISO 6781 series (other parts address practitioner-specific and building-type technical requirements)
• Standards and guidelines for fan pressurization, moisture metering and thermal performance testing (referenced within ISO 6781-1)

Keywords: ISO 6781-1, infrared thermography, building thermography, thermal imaging, moisture detection, air leakage, building performance, thermographic services, thermal inspection, emissivity.