Infrared Thermometer: The Multi-Purpose Helpful Diagnostic Tool

Managing a household is so multi-layered that I’m sure you’d agree we all should get classes on how to do so before we get to become independent and start living on our own. I’d always watched my parents round the house and as they made it all seem too easy and effortless, I had the impression it was no big deal. However, it all turned out to be not quite as I’d imagined once I found myself in a home of my own. The turning point that made me become more eco-aware and deal with certain choices and lifestyle habits in an entirely different way was seeing my sky-high electricity bills, particularly in winter, even though I was doing what was possible to reduce the electricity consumption.

After making sure appliances were all plugged out when not in use (not just left on standby mode), with water heater included, and changing all the incandescent light bulbs to the outstanding LEDs didn’t seem to have much of a positive effect, after spending days acting like Sherlock Holmes and doing some research, I came to the conclusion it was bad insulation to blame but as I didn’t know how bad it actually was and yet didn’t want to break the bank more than my bills already did on hiring professional help, I got myself an infrared thermometer. Since I’m no professional who requires extreme accuracy reading, I didn’t exactly look for the most expensive one out there but was able to find an array of quality products featuring an LED signal system and laser pointer.

Certain infrared thermometer models feature two laser pointers for more precise reading, and I made sure I got one of them as I loved the idea they provide accuracy even when you don’t measure by touching a surface, more so because not all surfaces are the same. After using it, I was able to see just how low on insulation my house was, especially the roof, and it showed me the many spots where energy was leaking from, mainly the windows and doors. The actions I took, getting the much needed roof insulation and the concrete foam for windows and doors fixed my really helped reduce my electricity bills greatly, and improved my home’s energy efficiency altogether, but these aren’t the only reasons why I feel so grateful for having an IR thermometer.

This ingenious tool has proved to be very helpful in the kitchen as well, and not just with assisting me in getting the ideal temperature for my soups and tea, but also for the measurement of semi-solid dishes such as mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs, and check all the meat based ones to see if they’ve been cooked at a high temperature that’s sufficient to kill bacteria. My IR thermometer has even come in handy in my garage as it indicated problems my car was having with the bearings and cooling system so my advice is get your own diagnostic tool of this sort and you’ll get to reap all the benefits too.

References:

https://www.test-equipment.com.au/environmental/thermometers/infrared/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/08/23/10-easy-ways-to-lower-your-electric-bill/#51ffe94a34ce