British Columbia · Energy · checked September 28, 2026

Thermal imaging (thermographic) inspections in Kelowna

An infrared camera shows missing insulation, air leaks and damp spots without opening a wall, but only when it's at least 10°C colder outside than inside. Kelowna's long heating season gives you months of good scanning weather.

Get matched in Kelowna → How an infrared scan works
Hands holding an infrared camera aimed at a ceiling corner beside a frosty window; the screen shows a cold streak

Cost

Usually included; confirm

Best conditions

≥10°C inside/outside difference

Too little difference and leaks barely show

Winter design temperature

−16.1°C

The cold day heating is sized for

Houses built before 1961

8%

Older houses usually leak more and have less insulation

How Kelowna is built

Kelowna's houses by when they were built Ten house shapes, one for each tenth of Kelowna's 41,965 houses. Before 1961: 8%, 1961–1990: 42%, 1991–2000: 16%, 2001 or later: 33%. Older houses glow hotter.
  • Before 1961 8%
  • 1961–1990 42%
  • 1991–2000 16%
  • 2001 or later 33%
Each house stands for one in ten of Kelowna's 41,965 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row and duplex), drawn by when it was built. The glow shows the usual pattern: older houses tend to be leakier and less insulated. More snow in the drawing means more heating degree-days: a longer, colder heating season. Sources: Statistics Canada 2021 Census (table 98-10-0233-01), NRCan HOT2000 climate data.

When to book in Kelowna

Kelowna gets about 3,715 heating degree-days a year, a measure of how much heating its climate needs, and its winter design temperature, the cold day heating systems are sized for, is −16.1°C. Those figures come from the climate data for Kelowna in HOT2000, the home-energy software Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) gives energy advisors. That gives Kelowna a long window, roughly late fall to early spring, when the inside-outside difference comfortably exceeds the 10°C an infrared scan needs.

A 1950s brick bungalow on a snowy suburban street at dusk, lamplight in the front window
The same bungalow as an infrared camera sees it: heat glowing around the door, window frames, eaves and the rim joist above the foundation
Illustration: the same house in visible light and in infrared. A winter scan shows where heat escapes: door and window edges, the eaves, and the rim joist above the foundation.

What the camera finds in Kelowna houses

Of Kelowna's 41,965 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 8% were built before 1961 and 50% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census. Older houses are where the camera earns its keep: empty or settled wall cavities, gaps at the top of walls, and cold corners where framing bridges the insulation. Run it with the blower door test depressurizing the house and every leak shows up as a cold streak.

What it costs

Most EnerGuide advisors include an infrared scan with the evaluation, but it isn't required, so confirm when you book. There's no provincial price list; the City of Nanaimo quotes $400–$500 as typical for an existing home. Several B.C. municipalities subsidize evaluations for their residents (see local programs below).

BC Southern Interior Okanagan and Thompson valleys

What this means in Kelowna’s climate

Hot, smoky summers and cold winters: plan cooling, filtration and heating together.

Why it matters here: Finds missing insulation and air leaks.

Best timing: December to February, on cold mornings with little sun and wind; summer scans with air conditioning running are less reliable.

  • Seal and insulate the attic. Attic air sealing and insulation cut winter heat loss and summer heat gain. Today's new-home minimum here is about R-49, a useful target for older attics. Ask: Ask for an attic inspection that checks insulation depth and air leaks around light fixtures, the hatch and plumbing stacks.

What else homes in Kelowna need →

Sources for this climate guide · checked October 26, 2026

Communities served

Area guide for the surrounding region, with every town and hamlet listed: Okanagan area guide (West Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Summerland and more).

NRCan-licensed service organizations serving Kelowna

A service organization is a company that Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) licenses to deliver EnerGuide evaluations; its registered energy advisors do the home visit. Most EnerGuide advisors bring an infrared camera, but it isn't a required part of the evaluation, so confirm when you book. The scan is most useful with the blower door running.

Source: NRCan list of licensed service organizations, checked September 28, 2026. Call to confirm your street is covered and ask about wait times.

Programs and local help in Kelowna

Provincial · needs an evaluation BC Home Energy Improvement Bonus $20 for every percentage-point your home improves — $750 minimum, $2,000 maximum — or $300 for any two upgrades Open Municipal See the Heat thermal imaging camera loan Kelowna library cardholders can borrow a free smartphone thermal imaging camera kit (with a Kill-A-Watt meter) for up to 7 days to find drafts and heat loss. Run with FortisBC and the Okanagan Regional Library.

Thermal imaging inspection in Kelowna: common questions

When is the best time for a thermal imaging inspection in Kelowna?

Late fall through early spring, when it is at least 10°C colder outside than inside. Cold, overcast days with no direct sun on the walls give the clearest images.

Can a thermal camera see through walls?

No. It reads surface temperatures. Missing insulation or an air leak shows up because it changes the temperature of the wall or ceiling surface.

Who does thermal imaging in Kelowna?

Most of the 21 NRCan-licensed organizations serving Kelowna bring an infrared camera to an EnerGuide evaluation; confirm when you book.

Is thermal imaging the same as a thermographic inspection?

Yes. Thermography, thermal imaging and infrared scanning all mean reading surface temperatures with an infrared camera.

Thermal imaging inspection near Kelowna

Thermal imaging inspection in Kamloops110 kmThermal imaging inspection in Abbotsford229 kmThermal imaging inspection in Langley246 kmThermal imaging inspection in Coquitlam259 kmThermal imaging inspection in Surrey261 km All 70 cities →

Sources

Checked September 28, 2026. Census figures are for the municipality (British Columbia); climate data is NRCan's HOT2000 station Kelowna (6 km away).

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