A facility manager receiving a folder of thermal images needs three answers: which panel needs attention, what makes the finding credible, and who owns the next decision. Agree on what the report should contain when you request a quotation. Ask the provider to distinguish observations, interpretations, and actions, and to list the equipment they could not assess.
What coverage are you buying?
Start with an asset list that identifies each panel, its location, and the system it serves. An old drawing may use the same name for two panels, or the installation may have changed since the last visit. Agree on the reference list and who reconciles discrepancies on site. Report coverage separately for assets inspected, partly visible, and not assessed. Capture why each exception occurred and whether a return visit can resolve it. Keep unassessed panels visible in the management summary even when the inspected equipment produced no findings.
What evidence belongs with each finding?
Request a thermal image and a matching visible image, the panel ID, the measurement point, and the time of observation. Record the operating conditions, where the load information came from, and whether it was available when the image was taken. Ask the inspector to identify the reference point and explain why the comparison is useful. Similar connections under comparable loads can make a useful reference. Different loads, surfaces, or viewing conditions weaken that comparison. Shiny metal and reflections can affect apparent readings. Ask the inspector to explain measurement limitations and confirm whether original image files are included in the agreed deliverables.
What should a one-page summary show?
Ask for three numbers before the findings table: the equipment in scope, the equipment assessed, and the equipment that still needs a visit or a different assessment. Ask the author to explain how they counted panels with several compartments. This makes it possible to compare coverage from one visit to the next without assuming that two different scopes represent the same inspection.
A useful findings register gives each item one row. Record the equipment ID, location, evidence reference, operating context, reason for the proposed priority, owner, and next review date. Put the thermal image and its visible companion in an appendix keyed to that same row. The maintenance planner can then create a work order without copying the whole report, and a technician can find the evidence without relying on a room name or a screenshot forwarded by email.
What if two suppliers report different priorities?
First compare the methods and scope in the two proposals. One report might classify a finding by a measured difference from a comparable component. The other might emphasize the importance of the equipment to production. Ask each supplier to explain how the two considerations inform the recommendation and how uncertainties are recorded. For example, a panel that supplies a critical process may deserve prompt engineering review even if the available thermal image is inconclusive. The report should say which information is missing and who needs to obtain it.
When reviewing a repeat visit, use the original finding ID and capture the current operating conditions. A warmer image may reflect a higher load or a different measurement surface. If the two observations cannot be compared directly, agree on the next appropriate check with the electrical team and keep the evidence attached to the finding. This helps the facility distinguish a pending investigation from a completed repair.
How should you review the priorities?
Consider the asset's role in the facility and the strength of the evidence. A difference between similar connections under documented comparable load gives the electrical team more useful evidence than an isolated reading on a reflective surface with no suitable reference. In a hypothetical report, a terminal on a panel serving a production line appears warmer than the adjacent terminal. Check whether the report establishes a comparable load before drawing a conclusion, then pass the finding to the authorized electrical team for appropriate follow-up under the site's procedures. An image's color or a single temperature does not determine the cause or the response. Agree in advance on who receives urgent findings and how decisions are recorded.
What closes a finding?
Use the same finding ID in the work order. Record the decision, the work actually performed, and the date of follow-up. If a before-and-after comparison is in scope, request a record of comparable load and measurement conditions. Otherwise an operating change can be mistaken for evidence of a successful repair. If verification is unavailable, keep the finding open or document the limits of its acceptance. Clarify which items are recommendations for diagnosis and which corrective tasks require a separate scope.
What should go in the request for quotation?
Send the panel schedule and locations, available drawings, usual operating conditions, known access constraints, reporting requirements, and the person who will receive findings. Ask each provider to describe planned coverage, information needed from site staff, how exclusions will be recorded, and whether follow-up is included. The authorized electrical team determines safe access. Do not ask operations staff to open panels for preliminary photos. Review the low-voltage maintenance scope when preparing your brief.
Discuss your switchboard maintenance scope with FLEZCO.
Source notes: US Department of Energy O&M guide, section 6.2 for thermography as a means to locate findings for diagnosis; FLIR imaging guidance for emissivity and reflections.