Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector TLD100 – Insulate Your Home

Energy-saving has not exactly been a top priority in the past. But now that global warming and rising energy costs are making our priorities change, it's ti

me to see where there is room for improvement. Most houses, except maybe the most recent ones, have thermal leaks, wasting our precious energy. But how to know where they are and how bad they are? Black & Decker has announced the TLD100, a tool that can help you find out.

Why It's Clever

Thermal leaks are an important parameter in the total energy consumption of our homes, making our heating systems and air conditioning systems work overtime. Drafts can be felt without tools, but other leaks are less apparent. Doing something about them is feasible, can be expensive, but is worthwhile most of the time. But to do something about them, you need to find them first. That's exactly the purpose of infrared measuring tools such as the TLD100.
It seems quite easy to use: You scan your walls and windows with this device, and the light will turn red or blue when a hot or cold spot is detected. I suppose it doesn't come with a very thick user manual, then.

Have a look at the YouTube video:

Summary

Easy detection of thermal leaks in your home
Detects temperature changes of 1, 5, or 10 degrees
Helps you to insulate your home better, both in winter and summer time.

Tips

Other laser thermometers are also available – you can find some of them here. But at first sight, the Black & Decker seems to be one of the more affordable ones and designed to be used by a non-trained consumer. Maybe split the cost with a few friends or relatives – you'll need this type of tool only once or twice for the same house and only for a few days, so you can pass it on to the next in the queue when you're done.

Are you seeing a huge blue dot when pointing it at your chimney? Then take a look at this inflatable chimney balloon.