2025.07.11 |
Thermal imagery highlighting issues in the envelope as part of a detailed energy audit.
QEA Tech has long been a pioneer in leveraging AI, drones, and thermography to conduct building envelope analysis, precisely identifying issues, quantifying energy loss, and delivering highly targeted retrofit recommendations with optimal payback periods and return on investment (ROI). While QEA Tech was officially incorporated in 2019, our core technology underwent extensive development for several years prior.
In QEA Tech’s formative years, when first engaging with prospective clients, the concept of using AI and drones to conduct building envelope analysis was largely overlooked. At best, the methods employed were manual, arduous, and rudimentary. Common practices included using a handheld camera to capture a limited number of thermal or visual images from the ground, followed by a laborious manual review to interpret anomalies. Other scenarios involved individuals physically walking roofs or using scaffolds to visually inspect building facades. Even when helicopters equipped with thermal cameras were deployed to capture larger quantities of data, the resulting images required manual, subjective interpretation. These conventional methods proved intrusive, expensive, often open to misinterpretation, non-scalable, and fundamentally failed to yield actionable data or insightful conclusions on the building envelope.
Today, numerous emerging startups are leveraging AI, drones, and thermography for building envelope analysis. However, it is important to ensure that these technologies are being used in a way that ensures detailed analysis and accuracy. To ensure the AI and drone service you select provides reliable conclusions and recommendations, consider asking the following critical questions:
How many buildings have you directly analyzed?
A significant challenge in developing and refining AI models and algorithms for accurate issue diagnosis and energy loss quantification is the acquisition of a sufficient volume of high-quality data. The comprehensive accumulation of such data necessitates the completion of hundreds of direct, hands-on projects. While some firms may claim an abundance of data points, these are often derived from publicly available sources or peripheral drone scans, which do not offer the granular detail required for an in-depth building envelope analysis.
QEA Tech has successfully completed nearly 800 building envelope projects as of 2025. In each of these engagements, we meticulously captured thousands of data points and measured R-values for every square inch of the structures. Furthermore, we integrated diverse building documentation, including architectural drawings and utility bills, to continuously refine our analysis and retrofit recommendations.
What kind of building envelope data do you capture?
A high volume of visual and thermal images at a close distance using high-resolution cameras is essential to mitigate reflections and distortions. In contrast, some firms may use drones to superficially capture a few dozen images of multiple buildings or large areas of the building envelope. Images obtained through these less rigorous methods offer a crude resolution, precluding any granular or accurate analysis, thereby rendering conclusions and recommendations unreliable.
QEA Tech captures thousands of high-resolution RGB and thermal images for each building. We employ a number of proprietary techniques and trade secrets in the capture and processing of these images. We also leverage proprietary sensors that collect various data points that are vital for calibrating our energy loss measurements.
What exactly does your AI do?
“AI” has become a ubiquitous and often overused term. It is important to understand that not all AI is developed or functions identically. To be effective, AI needs a large volume of high-quality data to continually tune and refine its capabilities.
QEA Tech has meticulously developed, trained, and fine-tuned our AI models specifically to quantify energy loss and identify distinct signatures and patterns associated with issues such as moisture penetration, thermal bridging, and missing or inconsistent insulation. QEA Tech holds several patents for these advanced capabilities.
How specific are your retrofit recommendations?
Some firms may provide generic, “cookie-cutter” recommendations that are high-level, often accompanied by inaccurate or entirely absent costing information.
QEA Tech delivers specific and actionable retrofit measures for the building envelope, complete with payback periods and ROI, directly tailored to the issues and risks identified through our analysis. QEA Tech offers a comprehensive menu of repair and retrofit options that are utilized to develop robust business cases for our clients. QEA Tech’s detailed approach empowers clients to forecast and plan their budgets for several years into the future, enabling them to prioritize which repairs and retrofits should be executed on which buildings, and in what sequence. Our methodology provides a quantitative, evidence-based decision-making framework to justify both operational and capital expenditures with concrete data.
What is the actual energy loss you are quantifying?
While many firms claim to “quantify energy loss,” this assertion can often be vague. Firms often rely heavily on generic assumptions based on the building type, materials or age. It is critical to also analyze data such as energy utilization and costs to begin to accurately quantify energy loss.
QEA Tech precisely quantifies the effective U-value or R-value and megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy loss for every square inch of the building envelope and for each individual building envelope element. We meticulously measure the actual energy transmittance throughout the building envelope, incorporating on-site data pertaining to various temperature and atmospheric conditions, building documentation and drawings, energy utilization and rates, and building usage data to ensure an exceptionally accurate measurement of energy loss. This level of granularity is what allows us to recommend highly targeted retrofits with detailed payback and ROI calculations, which are instrumental in developing business cases for internal budget planning and approvals by our clients.
Example of energy loss quantification for a building envelope conducted by QEA Tech’s software.
What kind of patents are in place, and are they directly relevant to building envelope analysis?
Firms should be able to clearly articulate what renders their software proprietary and unique. Some may utilize open-source software components that do not offer the requisite degree of detailed analysis and accuracy.
QEA Tech holds several patents, including those for the quantification of energy loss using thermal imaging and pattern recognition of thermal anomalies. Additionally, QEA Tech possesses a number of trade secrets related to the capture, processing, and analysis of building data.
Do you have a Building Science team?
The presence of dedicated experts who conduct quality control on AI-driven analysis and apply their specialized knowledge to tailor results and recommendations to building needs is paramount. Every building is unique in its construction, characteristics, usage, maintenance history, and resilience to environmental elements. Therefore, firms must avoid a “cookie-cutter” approach to analysis and exercise diligence in formulating specific and customized recommendations for repairs and retrofits.
QEA Tech has a dedicated Building Science team comprising experts in architecture, mechanical engineering, facilities management, and building science. Our team collaborates seamlessly with our proprietary software to ensure highly detailed and customized analysis and recommendations for each building. Over several years, our Building Science team have played a critical role in refining our AI software’s capabilities. Our Building Science team is engaged throughout the entirety of each project, from preliminary building reviews and advising on drone and data collection protocols, to pinpointing specific areas on the building envelope requiring additional attention and data, to quality control of software-generated analysis, and developing tailored recommendations for repairs and retrofits with detailed payback and ROI calculations.
Understanding the details of what a vendor can provide is essential to ensuring you are getting optimal value in the analysis of your building envelope. Interested in receiving thorough, tailored insights on the performance of envelopes in your portfolio? Contact QEA Tech for a free preliminary quote.
