Newfoundland and Labrador · Energy · checked September 28, 2026

Thermal imaging (thermographic) inspections in St. John's

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. St. John's's long heating season gives you months of good scanning weather.

Get matched in St. John's → 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

−12.8°C

The cold day heating is sized for

Houses built before 1961

22%

Older houses usually leak more and have less insulation

How St. John's is built

St. John's's houses by when they were built Ten house shapes, one for each tenth of St. John's's 42,120 houses. Before 1961: 22%, 1961–1990: 42%, 1991–2000: 11%, 2001 or later: 26%. Older houses glow hotter.
  • Before 1961 22%
  • 1961–1990 42%
  • 1991–2000 11%
  • 2001 or later 26%
Each house stands for one in ten of St. John's's 42,120 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 St. John's

St. John's gets about 4,578 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 −12.8°C. Those figures come from the climate data for St-John's International in HOT2000, the home-energy software Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) gives energy advisors. That gives St. John's 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 St. John's houses

Of St. John's's 42,120 houses (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses and duplexes), 22% were built before 1961 and 64% 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 province-wide price; takeCHARGE lists the service organizations working in the province without prices.

Atlantic Canada Maritimes and Newfoundland

What this means in St. John's’s climate

Damp, windy, icy winters and costly oil: switch to heat pumps, seal, test for radon.

Why it matters here: Shows insulation gaps and air leaks.

Best timing: December to March, on a calm, overcast day with at least 10°C between inside and outside.

  • Seal wind-driven leaks and the attic. Wind pushes cold air through gaps, and heavy, wet snow with frequent freezing rain makes a leaky attic prone to ice dams. Ask: Ask for a blower door test on a calm day, with a thermal scan to find wind-driven leaks.

What else homes in St. John's need →

Sources for this climate guide · checked October 26, 2026

NRCan-licensed service organizations serving St. John's

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.

Thermal imaging inspection in St. John's: common questions

When is the best time for a thermal imaging inspection in St. John's?

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 St. John's?

Most of the 7 NRCan-licensed organizations serving St. John's 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 St. John's

Thermal imaging inspection in Charlottetown797 kmThermal imaging inspection in Halifax893 kmThermal imaging inspection in Moncton931 kmThermal imaging inspection in Saint John1041 kmThermal imaging inspection in Fredericton1070 km All 70 cities →

Sources

Checked September 28, 2026. Census figures are for the municipality (Newfoundland and Labrador); climate data is NRCan's HOT2000 station St-John's International (11 km away).

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