The short answer
In the example warehouse, one worn dock seal is estimated to cost HUF 18,000 in heating per season (range: 15,000–26,000). That is less than the bright streak on the thermal image suggests. The dock-related items together – four failed seals, four leveller pits and the perimeters of the closed doors – make up 6.5% of the example's estimated loss; roof gaps and wet roof insulation make up 75%.
That does not mean docks do not matter: cold air streaming in beside a trailer can cause comfort problems, condensation and ice around the leveller, none of which the model puts a price on. But if the aim is to cut the gas bill, it pays to do the repairs in the order the numbers give. A thermal survey produces exactly that order.
Where does a dock leak?
Around a loading door there are four typical places where cold air gets in and warm air escapes. The dock shelter (side pads and head curtain) only counts while a trailer is docked; when there is none, the door's own perimeter seals do the work. The leveller pit under the dock leveller is open in both cases.
- Side pads: compressed or torn dock shelter between trailer and opening
- Head curtain: missing or curled-up section
- Leveller pit: side gaps around the dock leveller
- Closed-door perimeter: worn seals when no trailer is docked
How much money escapes? The example hall
The example is a 60 × 40 m (2,400 m²) warehouse: sandwich-panel walls and roof, 16 °C, gas radiant-tube heating, four dock doors and two sectional doors, near Nyíregyháza. We took the “extensive” defect level: all four dock seals failed, the leveller-pit side gaps open, and the roof and panel joints poor as well. The calculation uses the October 2026 net gas price: 40.4 HUF/kWh central (range 32.1–56.9 HUF/kWh) and a heating efficiency of 0.80.
| Item | Est. loss, HUF/season | Repair (indicative), HUF | Simple payback | Prio. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 dock seal (failed, 7.6 m × 26 mm gap) | HUF 18,000 (15,000–26,000) | HUF 300,000 (150,000–600,000) | 16 yr | C |
| 4 leveller-pit side gaps | HUF 66,000 (53,000–93,000) | HUF 600,000 (320,000–1,200,000) | 9.1 yr | C |
| 4 dock-door perimeters when closed | HUF 38,000 (30,000–54,000) | HUF 360,000 (160,000–720,000) | 9.4 yr | C |
| 1 sectional door with worn seals | HUF 42,000 (33,000–59,000) | HUF 90,000 (40,000–180,000) | 2.1 yr | B |
| Roof-ridge gap (60 m × 3 mm) | HUF 690,000 (550,000–970,000) | HUF 270,000 (150,000–480,000) | 0.4 yr | A |
| 8 skylight perimeter gaps | HUF 610,000 (480,000–860,000) | HUF 960,000 (480,000–2,000,000) | 1.6 yr | A |
| Wet roof insulation (140 m²) | HUF 740,000 (590,000–1,000,000) | HUF 3,100,000 (1,700,000–5,600,000) | 4.1 yr | B |
| Wall-panel joints (90 m × 2 mm) | HUF 360,000 (290,000–510,000) | HUF 410,000 (230,000–720,000) | 1.1 yr | A |
Estimate – not a guarantee. Figures are model-based and actual values may differ.
The total estimated loss of the example is HUF 2,700,000 per season (range 2,200,000–3,900,000), which is 26.6% of the heating bill. Figures are rounded to two significant digits: the uncertainty of an individual estimate is typically ±30–50%.
The loss per dock depends on utilisation. The model assumes a dock gap leaks during about 25% of heated hours, when a trailer is docked with the door open; on a site with continuous loading it can be higher, and with occasional service lower.
Why the docks do not lose the most
- Gap length. A dock-shelter side gap is an opening of a few tenths of a square metre. The roof-ridge gap is 60 m long and the eight skylights have 80 m of perimeter in total: long, continuous gaps, all season.
- Building height. The calculation treats the hall as a two-level leakage network: what enters low must leave high. According to the model, most of the hall's air exchange is driven by the long roof gaps.
- Wet roof insulation. Only 140 m² (about 6% of the roof) is the largest single item, because the conductivity of wet insulation is many times that of an intact panel.
What the camera shows at a dock
From outside at night, warm air escaping through a gap appears as a bright streak along the side pads, under the head curtain and around the leveller pit. From inside, incoming cold air draws a cold band on the floor and beside the ramp. The thermal image gives the location and approximate width of the leak; it does not read the watts lost, which we estimate from dimensions and a model.
A single image shows a single moment. How many hours a year a dock stands open is operating data: so we ask for an estimate of utilisation and record it as an assumption in the report. Timing matters as well; the conditions for an exterior survey are covered in a separate article.
Does the repair pay back?
The simple payback in the table follows from the indicative, quote-based repair cost and the estimated seasonal saving; the repair prices are assumptions. Three takeaways:
- A dock-shelter repair (HUF 300,000 per dock, range 150,000–600,000) rarely pays back from heating savings alone: about 16 years in the example. It is more often justified by comfort, condensation or wear.
- A sectional-door seal set (HUF 90,000) is cheap and would pay back in about 2.1 years in the example.
- The fastest items are on the roof: sealing the ridge gap (HUF 270,000) would pay back in about 4.7 months, and resealing the wall-panel joints (HUF 410,000) in about 14 months.
Savings only materialise if the repair is carried out and works. The survey itself saves no energy; the ranking helps the money go where it returns most. You can try your own numbers in the payback calculator; the details of the examples are in the worked examples.
What you can do now
- Inspect the dock shelters: compressed or cracked side pads, a curled-up or missing head curtain.
- Check the bottom and side seals of sectional doors: is light visible around the door, can you feel a draught?
- Make sure a dock without a trailer has its door closed.
- Look at the leveller-pit side gaps; a brush or rubber-strip seal is a cheap measure.
- The ridge, skylights and panel joints are hard to judge from the ground: these are worth a night-time survey.
A quote tailored to warehouse and logistics sites is on the warehouse and logistics page; the details of hall surveys are on the service page.