Rafael Royo PHOTO: Manuel Castells

"Spain has millions of homes that are obsolete from the point of view of energy efficiency. Citizens should be aware that the price of electricity will continue to rise and that with an efficient house they get more comfort for less money". This was stated by Rafael Royo, director of the Spanish Agency Certified in Infrared Thermography (AECTIR), on the occasion of the course offered at the Master's Degree Official in design and management Environmental Buildings (MDGAE) of the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra.

During the course given by Rafael Royo at MDGAE, the students were able to apply the concepts of thermography to Building and carry out programs of study thermography of the different centers of campus in Pamplona.

The professor of heat transmission, infrared thermography and energy efficiency at the Polytechnic University of Valencia recalled that"the price of a house is not only the cost of acquisition, but also the cost of maintenance during its useful life", which is why he considered that "any investment in saving measures, such as refurbishment, will pay off in the end".

Precisely, he pointed out that this field opens up new employment possibilities for architects as well as technicians and industrial groups at Building. "Simple and easy to install but effective rehabilitation methods must be developed. They cannot be approached as something artisanal because this implies a high cost, is not effective and the result is never optimal."

Thermography: detecting problems in buildings
Rafael Royo stressed that thermography, a technique that uses infrared radiation emitted by all bodies, is a very useful tool for detecting problems in buildings and the only one that does not require destructive testing to reveal insulation faults, heat loss, condensation, water leaks and even animal pests.

As he explained, it began to be used in the 80s in northern countries and then spread to central and southern Europe. "Here it is not a question of 'survival', as in Sweden or Norway, but we should not underestimate that when we consume the most energy is in summer, for cooling. With global warming, the demand for electricity is going to increase, so discovering deficiencies in homes will serve to save," he stressed.

Finally, he pointed out that although these instruments are available to the public, only professionals should use them: "You need training to interpret the image well and understand the heat transfer process. Otherwise, the analysis may be useless or, in the worst case, erroneous". Thus, he pointed out that about a thousand professionals throughout Spain are certified by the ITC (Infrared Training Center) to make thermographic programs of study .