Short answer: no. An EICR is a periodic inspection and test of a fixed installation against BS 7671, including tests carried out with circuits isolated. A thermographic survey images connections live, under load, to find any running hotter than they should. They answer different questions, so most commercial and industrial sites benefit from both, and they work best side by side.
Facilities and estates teams often put it to us as “we only do thermography when the EICR is due”. That can work, but only if both are planned with their differences in mind.
What an EICR covers
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is carried out by a qualified electrician. It combines a visual inspection with tests such as continuity, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation, often on a sample of circuits. Faults are coded (C1, C2, C3 or FI). IET guidance suggests intervals for commercial and industrial premises of a few years, not every year.
What a thermographic survey covers
A thermographic survey looks at how the installation behaves while it is working. A certified thermographer images switchgear, distribution boards, busbar, fuses, breakers and cable terminations under normal load, and reports any component running warmer than comparable ones nearby. Because it needs no shutdown, it can be repeated every year, or more often on critical sites, between EICRs.
What each one can miss
- An EICR is a snapshot, and much of the testing is done with circuits isolated. It does not show how a connection behaves after hours at full load, and if it samples circuits, the untested ones are not covered.
- Thermography cannot test insulation, earthing or RCD trip times. It only sees what is energised, carrying load and in line of sight once covers are open. It reports where heat is measured; finding the cause is for the electrician once the circuit is isolated.
Put simply, the EICR asks “is this installation safe and compliant?” and thermography asks “is any part of it running hot right now?”.
How to make them work together
- Survey before the EICR shutdown, not after. If thermography runs a few weeks ahead, the electrician arrives with a list of exact locations to check while circuits are isolated anyway.
- Keep thermography annual even in years with no EICR. Load changes from year to year, and a yearly survey shows trends.
- Use the same location references (building, room, panel, circuit) in both reports, so findings can be cross-checked.
Who should do each
The EICR needs a qualified electrician. The thermographic survey needs a certified thermographer, ideally Level 2 or above with Level 3 oversight, working alongside your authorised electrician, who opens and closes covers under your permit to work. Our thermographers are ITC Level 3, and Ti inspects and reports only.
We have carried out more than 700 electrical thermography inspections across a national distribution and logistics network since 2018. For data centres, see our data centre electrical thermography page, annual PPM thermography, switchgear thermography, busbar thermography at commissioning and the 7 electrical risks that cause data centre downtime.
Frequently asked questions
Is thermography a legal requirement?
No UK regulation names thermography. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require systems to be maintained to prevent danger, and thermography is one way sites show that. Insurers and client contracts often ask for it specifically.
Can the EICR and thermography be done on the same visit?
They can share access and permits, but thermography must be done while circuits are live and loaded, before any isolation. Running it a few weeks earlier usually gives the electrician more to work with.
Will a thermography finding fail an EICR?
Not by itself. A thermography finding tells the electrician where to look. What they find once the circuit is isolated, and how they code it, is their call.
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About the author: Rachael Browning is General Manager of Ti Thermal Imaging, which carries out electrical thermography surveys for data centres, FM portfolios and industrial sites across the UK and UAE. Ti’s work has featured on BBC News and ITN.