Electrical Thermography
Electrical thermography uses infrared cameras to reveal overheating in electrical installations before it leads to fires or outages, and is a standard instrument of insurance-driven loss prevention.
Principle and benefit
Loose terminal connections, overloaded conductors and aged contacts heat up long before they ignite. Non-contact measurement under operating load detects such hotspots without shutdown – electrical fires are among the most frequent industrial fire causes and can be effectively addressed by thermography.
Execution
The inspection cycle is usually annual for main and critical sub-distributions, ideally at a minimum of 40 percent rated load. Qualified thermographers document findings with temperature classes and priorities; defect rectification and re-inspection close the cycle.
Insurance relevance
Property insurers and fire protection guidelines (for example VdS) increasingly expect periodic thermography as standard; in Switzerland, cantonal requirements and insurers mandate regular electrical inspections. Documented programmes improve risk assessment and terms.