Costs & choosing
Drone pilot network or local operator: which should you book?
Compare the buying process, accountability and practical trade-offs of a managed network, an operator directory and a direct supplier.
The assessment in brief
Who should consider iRed?
iRed is a relevant shortlist option when the purpose of the flight is to investigate an asset through thermal or other sensor data. Its published offer covers building thermography, solar inspection and measured surveys, alongside equipment and training. Our assessment is that its most useful distinction is the emphasis on interpretation. Buyers should specify the question to be answered, the evidence required and the person responsible for analysis, rather than purchase thermal imagery as an end in itself.
Strengths to consider
- Dedicated building and solar thermography service descriptions.
- Measured-survey outputs with example file formats listed.
- Thermal report interpretation presented as part of its survey offering.
What to check
- Distinguish commissioned surveys from equipment purchase and training.
- Agree capture conditions and the depth of thermal analysis required.
- Confirm current site arrangements and credentials with the assigned team.
Service-fit ratings
| Roof inspections | |
|---|---|
| Surveying & mapping | |
| Photography & film | |
| Thermal imaging | |
| Construction progress | |
| Infrastructure |
These describe the focus of advertised services. They are not customer-satisfaction or tested-quality scores. “Not assessed” does not mean unavailable. How the criteria work.
Building investigations and interpretation
The building-survey page describes investigations of heat loss, missing insulation, air leakage and related building concerns. iRed advertises qualified thermographers and reporting intended to support remedial decisions. Its broader drone-survey page includes roofs, structures and infrastructure, but buyers should confirm which parts of a particular building assessment use a drone.
Start with the problem: unexplained energy consumption, suspected insulation gaps or a concern raised during a refurbishment. Ask how the survey will distinguish observations from probable causes and recommendations. For a report to be useful, the recipient should understand the location of each finding, the confidence of the interpretation and any further investigation needed.
Solar surveys: screening or detailed analysis?
iRed's solar page distinguishes broad aerial screening from closer inspection with radiometric data, and also describes ground-based thermal surveys. It advertises investigation of panel and string anomalies and reports signed off by thermographers. This distinction between overview and detailed analysis is useful: two proposals labelled solar drone survey may promise quite different evidence.
Tell the provider whether the goal is to locate suspect panels, prioritise maintenance or supply evidence for another party. Agree the required report granularity and how findings will map back to the installation's identifiers. Ask which operating and weather conditions are needed and what happens if those conditions are unsuitable on the planned date.
Measured outputs and downstream use
The measured-survey service lists orthomosaics, textured models, point clouds and elevation products, with examples including TIF, DXF, LAS and LAZ. It also describes planning ground control and validating collected data. This is a different deliverable from a thermal inspection report, even where both are commissioned for the same building or site.
Ask the designer or survey consultant to approve the specification before capture. Include the coordinate system, required accuracy, survey boundary and file structure. Request evidence of the checks used to support the stated accuracy, and confirm whether drawings, classification or other processing are included. A compatible file extension alone does not establish that a dataset meets the project requirement.
Pricing & getting a quotation
Request an estimate that identifies the sensor work, analysis and report deliverables. For solar work, separate screening from detailed fault analysis; for buildings, distinguish internal, ground-level and aerial coverage. Include travel, reporting turnaround and any revisit arrangements. If several survey types are combined, ask for an itemised proposal so you can compare equivalent outputs and avoid paying for unnecessary capture.
For a consistent comparison, use our drone service cost guide and buyer’s checklist.
Questions to ask iRed
- Who will interpret and sign off our report, and what qualifications match this asset type?
- Is the solar inspection an overview or detailed radiometric analysis, and how are panels identified?
- Which control, accuracy checks and processed file formats are included in the measured survey?