Many impending failures are accompanied by overheating. That is why thermal imaging is especially useful for monitoring rotating equipment. Thermography can also be used together with other predictive techniques, such as analysis, vibration monitoring, and ultrasound measurement.

In energy audits of homes and other buildings, technicians are using blower doors in conjunction with thermal imagers. The blowers create positive or negative pressures within interior envelopes, making leaks much more apparent in thermal images.