Stereotypical home inspector: hard hat, plaid shirt and, of course, a No. 2 pencil and a clipboard in hand.

Tim Halpin breaks the mold. Clean cut, with silver-streaked hair and a soul patch, the 38-year-old self-employed inspector (and musician) wears a crisp khaki button-up bearing the logo of his business, Pacific Inspection Services. A clipboard is nowhere to be seen.

"All [my] reports are completely digital to lessen the paper trail," Halpin said. "And I have sloppy handwriting," he admitted with a smile.

Emailing a PDF document to clients isn't the only shift he has taken from traditional home inspection methods. Halpin, a home and pest inspector for the last five years, is also one of the few inspectors on the Olympic Peninsula certified in thermography. Thermography, or thermal imaging, utilizes an infrared camera to measure differences in temperature and create images. The camera screen then displays the variations in temperature by color, with warmer areas ranging from red (warm) to white (hot) and cold areas ranging pink (cool) to violet (cold), much like the alien Predator in the self-titled 1980s motion picture starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Not only are the photos pretty, but in the hands of a thermographer, they're surprisingly informative. "Up until now home inspections were just visual inspections," Halpin said. "With infrared technology you don't have to do any of the destructive work."

Moisture, missing or damaged insulation, and electrical shorts all have varying heat signatures that are picked up by the camera, Halpin said. Instead of tearing down a whole wall to find a leak, the source of problem can be isolated with the camera and repaired more quickly and thoroughly, he said.

Infrared consultations also give homeowners a glimpse into how energy efficient their "energy-efficient" home actually is by detecting airflow around doors and windows.

"With energy prices sky high, people are becoming more conscious about their homes," Halpin said. "They're trying to save as much as possible."

Halpin offers residential energy audits during which he scans a home using a web-based software. The software then provides suggestions on cost-effective energy improvements, he said.

The energy evaluation is more than just another skill to print on a business card. "There's really a need for it," Halpin said, as a Bob Marley CD played softly in the background. "It's one more way to help people lessen their dependence on foreign oil."

Halpin began doing energy audits combined with thermal imaging after hearing community members voice concerns about the need for energy evaluations, he said. Some homeowners want to do more to conserve but just don't know where to start, he said.

Thirteen years ago, Halpin and his fiancée (now wife), Lisa Leporati, left New York looking for a change, he said. A big change - roughly the size of Alaska. But about 1,700 miles shy of America's northernmost state, a friend recommended that the couple check out a small town on the Olympic Peninsula, he said. Like many before them, Halpin, then a musician and teacher, and his fiancée were taken by the community of Port Townsend. They stayed.

Halpin doesn't teach anymore, but he is still a passionate musician. His band, Lucius Clay, recently performed their last concert at the Port Townsend Brewery, Halpin will be playing with other local bands throughout the summer.

It's the community that has continued to make running a business in Port Townsend such a positive experience, Halpin said. "It's great to have a sense of community and interconnectedness," he said, something not easily found in New York, he added.

But doing business in a smaller community also means fewer jobs at times, said Halpin, who also works in Kitsap and Clallam counties. Much of inspection work is based on home sales, so the real estate market plays a major role as well, he said.

"Part of it is being flexible," said Halpin, who is open for appointments seven days a week. He can be reached at www.pacificinspectionservices.com or 360-643-3592.

As the owner and only employee of Pacific Inspection Services, Halpin doesn't waste time micromanaging, he said. "I like to take the responsibility all on my shoulders. So far it's been pretty smooth."