Switchboard Thermography for Australian Facilities: Compare

For Melbourne or Victorian industrial sites, EES Electrics is the locally positioned option; Thermal Scanners advertises national coverage and severity-classified, insurance-oriented reporting.[4][5] Neither can be named the overall winner because published prices, complete report specifications and re-scan terms are unavailable.[4][5]

EES Electrics vs Thermal Scanners

These are published scopes, not proof an unlisted asset is included or excluded. EES expressly mentions cables and motors, while Thermal Scanners mentions control panels. The practical difference depends on the written scope for each site.[4][5]

EES positions its service around Melbourne and Victoria, emphasising industrial predictive maintenance, shutdown avoidance and local support.[4] Thermal Scanners advertises services nationally across commercial, industrial and government environments, including sites seeking risk-rated reports or insurer-related documentation.[5] These are vendor claims, not independent performance findings.

What the report should contain

A useful report should allow maintenance personnel to identify the asset, locate the finding and compare it with later inspections. Ask each provider to confirm whether its report includes:

• Precise location: site, board, compartment and component.
• Asset identification: equipment name, nameplate details or another identifier linked to the asset register.
• Electrical reference: phase or circuit number, where identifiable.
• Paired images: a thermal image and corresponding visible-light image.[3][6]
• Recorded result: temperatures, the observed pattern and the marked fault location.[3][6]
• Inspection metadata: camera manufacturer and model, lens field of view, measured conditions and factors affecting interpretation or repeatability.[3][6]

A thermal pattern is not a diagnosis. Overload, imbalance, a poor connection and harmonics can produce similar results, so current, voltage or power-quality measurements may be needed.[2][3]

EES says its reports include thermal images, temperatures, fault locations and repair advice.[4] Thermal Scanners says it classifies severity and provides recommendations suitable for insurance-related use.[5] Neither description confirms every field above. Request a redacted sample report and written confirmation of delivery format, included data and image-retention arrangements; the supplied sources do not confirm these details.[4][5]

Confirm load, access and inspection conditions

Electrical thermography is a non-contact method that displays apparent temperature differences in energised equipment.[2][5][6] Heat from a loose connection rises as the square of the load, making some problems easier to detect at higher load.[3] The supplied sources establish no universal minimum-load percentage, so the quote should state the required operating condition and how lightly loaded assets will be handled.

Infrared cameras measure surface radiation and cannot see through metal electrical cabinets or solid-metal bus trays.[3] Access decisions and any opening of electrical enclosures belong to appropriately qualified electrical professionals under the site’s safety procedures. Facilities staff should not open live switchboards to prepare a survey. The report should identify inaccessible equipment and unopened compartments rather than imply complete coverage.

Air movement can cool components, while reflective surfaces, sunlight and incorrect emissivity settings can mislead interpretation.[3][4] Comparisons are generally made between similar components under similar loads rather than from one isolated absolute temperature.[2][6]

Before the visit, provide:

• an asset list covering each switchboard, panel and related asset to be scanned;
• the planned operating state and available load records;
• access arrangements, permit requirements and switching constraints; and
• details of likely inaccessible areas or enclosures.

Require the quote and report to record unloaded circuits, unopened compartments, inaccessible equipment and relevant environmental limitations. The sources do not confirm how either provider documents these exclusions.[4][5]

Safety takes priority over access. A panel showing moisture, heavy rust, buzzing, arcing or other unsafe signs should be reported rather than opened or touched; images may instead be taken from a safe distance.[6]

How to interpret severity findings

A severity rating helps prioritise work but does not establish the cause. Supporting current, voltage or power-quality measurements may be necessary where several explanations fit the same thermal pattern.[2][3]

Cold anomalies also matter. Examples include a blown fuse, current diverted from a high-resistance connection or a comparatively cool transformer tube indicating restricted oil flow.[2]

Temperature differences and absolute temperatures must not be confused: a 15°C temperature difference equals 27°F, using Δ°F = Δ°C × 9/5. Fluke discusses a 15°C difference between comparable components under similar loads and a separate component-to-ambient criterion.[3] Do not reproduce an inconsistent approximate conversion as an unresolved technical dispute. NETA guidance quoted by US sources is contextual technical guidance, not an Australian national legal threshold. Require the qualified assessor to state the comparison method, load conditions, assessment framework and reasons for the recommended priority.[2][3]

Thermal Scanners advertises severity-classified reports. EES describes temperatures, fault locations and repair advice but does not confirm a formal severity framework.[4][5] Ask each provider:

• Which severity matrix is used?
• How do load, ambient conditions and comparison method affect the rating?
• Which supporting electrical measurements are included?
• How are inconclusive patterns reported?

The supplied sources do not confirm either provider’s severity matrix or full measurement scope.[4][5]

Thermography also does not verify RCD operation. Thermal Scanners distinguishes live-asset thermography from RCD testing and offers RCD testing as an optional service, although its page does not confirm the test method.[5]

Post-remediation re-scans

A repeat scan can show whether the original hot or cold anomaly has disappeared. Retained images can also create a baseline for comparisons over time.[2][3]

For a meaningful comparison, the re-scan should reproduce the original asset, component, camera view and operating state as closely as practicable. Load, environmental conditions and factors affecting repeatability should be recorded.[2][3][6] Materially different conditions should be documented rather than treating a changed temperature pattern alone as proof of successful remediation.

Link the re-scan to:

• the original thermal and visible-light images;
• the asset, circuit or component identifier;
• the repair record;
• the re-scan conditions and result; and
• the finding’s closure status.

Neither provider’s published page confirms whether re-scans are included, discounted or separately charged. Travel fees, minimum charges, image-retention periods and file-access terms also remain unverified.[4][5] The quote should state the re-scan scope, fee, timing and required operating conditions.

Is thermography legally required in Australia?

Thermal Scanners states that electrical thermal imaging is not legislatively required in Australia and contrasts it with RCD and emergency-exit-light testing at defined intervals.[5] This is a vendor interpretation: the supplied research contains no primary legislation or regulator guidance confirming a national rule.

Site-specific obligations should therefore be checked with the relevant authority or an appropriately qualified adviser. No default Australian thermography interval is verified in the supplied sources.

Thermal Scanners says inspection frequency is commonly influenced by operating conditions, asset criticality and insurance requirements. It also says insurer requirements vary by policy and recommends checking with the insurer or broker.[5] Obtain written confirmation of:

• the policy clause or broker instruction;
• the assets to be inspected;
• the required frequency and operating conditions;
• the expected report format and severity system;
• any required qualifications; and
• the evidence required after repairs, including whether a re-scan is expected.

Price and quote checklist

The supplied sources verify no service price for either provider. Minimum charges, travel costs, GST treatment, re-scan fees, warranties, payment terms, contract duration and cancellation conditions are also unknown.[4][5]

Replace a broad description such as site thermal scan with an itemised schedule of switchboards, panels, transformers and other assets. Confirm whether the price includes:

• site preparation, induction and access delays;
• opening and reinstating enclosures where safe;
• thermal and corresponding visible-light images;
• interpretation, recommendations and urgent notification procedures; and
• report preparation and delivery.

Require every excluded, inaccessible or insufficiently loaded asset to be recorded. Ask whether returning to inspect omitted assets triggers another minimum, travel or attendance charge; neither provider’s approach is confirmed.[4][5]

Thermal Scanners says it uses licensed electricians and certified thermographers, while EES refers to interpretation by an experienced thermographer.[4][5] Request the qualifications and relevant insurance details of the people who would attend, as the supplied material does not independently verify individual credentials.

Before issuing a purchase order, settle image ownership and retention, report-use rights, confidentiality, warranty limitations, payment timing, cancellation charges and what happens if the required operating load is unavailable. Obtain separate prices for supporting electrical measurements, optional RCD testing and post-remediation re-scans.[2][3][5]

An asset-level report acceptance example

Fictional report outline: the entries below illustrate what a facilities reviewer can request. They are not measurements, an electrical diagnosis or an instruction to open equipment. A qualified provider must decide inspection methods and any required electrical work.

Use a missing-asset register alongside the report: asset ID, reason omitted, operational impact, return-visit requirement and owner. Agree how urgent findings are communicated and how the report distinguishes an observation from a confirmed cause. The inspection report should make both covered and uncovered scope visible.

Match documented service coverage to the site

Consider EES Electrics for a Melbourne or Victorian industrial site prioritising local support, live non-invasive inspection and predictive-maintenance reporting. This reflects the company’s published positioning, not an independent recommendation.[4]

Consider Thermal Scanners where national availability, broader sector coverage, normal-load scanning, severity-classified findings or insurer-oriented documentation are priorities. These capabilities are vendor-reported.[5]

Use this selection process:

1. Reconcile each proposed asset scope against the site’s asset register.
2. Record expected loads, access requirements and compartments that cannot be opened.
3. Compare redacted sample reports for asset identification, finding location and repair-verification evidence.
4. Confirm the severity method and whether supporting electrical measurements are included or optional.
5. Obtain insurer requirements directly because Thermal Scanners says they vary by policy.[5]
6. Price the initial inspection and post-remediation re-scan separately.
7. Review qualifications, warranties, payment terms, contract duration and cancellation conditions.

Choose according to the written scope, report evidence and follow-up terms—not an unsupported assumption about price or coverage. The supplied sources do not establish either provider’s final pricing, turnaround, re-scan arrangements or contractual conditions.[4][5]

References

2. Thermal imaging electrical maintenance application – ISA (isa.org)
3. Best Thermal Imaging Cameras for Electrical Inspections | Fluke (fluke.com)
4. Thermal Imaging Inspections for Industrial Electrical Systems (eeselectrics.com.au)
5. Electrical Thermal Imaging Services Australia (thermalscanners.com.au)
6. IR Cameras: Electrical Inspections – InterNACHI® (nachi.org)