FireAngel’s head of software engineering, John McEwan, explores the extraordinary asset-management advantages that smart technology promises for both housing providers and their residents.
Alongside benefits for residents such as reduced energy bills and lower carbon emissions, smart technologies are transforming the way housing providers’ internal departments such as repairs, asset management, energy and call centres work and communicate.
The internet of things (IoT) is changing the way data is collected and processed across a range of business sectors, including social housing. IoT aggregates and integrates enormous volumes of data across multiple devices in individual properties to provide immediate, contextual information to housing providers, combined with remote-control capabilities.
But with an ever‑increasing amount of data being imported from various sources and sensors in properties, it can become overwhelming. And it’s not just collecting IoT‑derived data that’s important, but how that data is then integrated by housing teams; turning data into insights, and therefore action, is crucial in the creation of a successful IoT ecosystem.
Creating an automated network
With IoT, housing providers can gain a more interoperable and holistic view of what’s going on in their properties rather than relying on individual systems. However, when the velocity at which data is being collected and processed from smart technologies in multiple properties is so high, housing providers would benefit from a centralised platform for total system integration and a single view of all IoT‑derived data and insights.
A central dashboard eliminates the cost and complexity of managing multiple documents and spreadsheets and enables housing teams to manage multiple assets from only a single platform. Data gathered from connected smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, smart boilers, utility readings and temperature sensors creates a network of protection for a property.
For example, housing teams can analyse and automate processes using IoT‑derived data to book predictive maintenance visits and smart boiler servicing, test connected alarms remotely to streamline compliance checks or allocate better ventilation resources by monitoring sensors’ temperature readings.
IoT-powered resident protection
FireAngel Connected, a purpose-built solution for home safety in social housing, has an open API, enabling integration with other building and asset management software or dashboards to create a centralised view of actions based on insights. With Connected, housing providers can remotely monitor interlinked alarms, access real-time status updates and view instant diagnostic reports for a more efficient, intelligent way of managing their properties.
The solution can be deployed within the parameters of an existing budget and can be connected via cellular technology for more reliability than wi‑fi to ensure tenants are kept safe even if an internet connection is interrupted.
To enable a connected network, a gateway can be added to provide remote real-time monitoring of all alarms. FireAngel’s Home Environment Gateway is ceiling mounted and occupies the same footprint as a smoke alarm to remain unobtrusive for tenants. The gateway’s design allows it to be attached as a base on an existing FireAngel mains-powered product, so it’s quick and easy to install by maintenance teams.
With built-in temperature and humidity sensors as standard, the gateway allows housing providers to identify environments which may lead to the onset of damp and mould in properties. It’s further enhanced with Zigbee capability, giving it connectivity to other Zigbee sensors within a property, such as water-leak detectors, panic buttons and motion sensors, supporting smarter homes for the future.
Real-time reporting
The FireAngel Connected cloud-based dashboard reports real-time, GDPR-compliant data for individual properties and devices. Using the dashboard, housing providers can quickly access the most important information, with an instant overview of urgent, active and FireAngel Predict notifications to help with effective resource management.
Every aspect of a device is captured and logged automatically on the system, including installation, training and compliance records, to comply with the Hackitt report’s recommended ‘golden thread of data’ for a building. Within the installation dashboard, housing providers can view full alarm-history reports for individual properties and run test events remotely. This can either be a sound test (with a resident’s go‑ahead) or a silent test across all alarms in a property.
Educating & supporting tenants
The Connected tenant app also brings tenants into the centre of fire safety, enabling them and their families to be aware of the fire protection network in their property and play an active part in mitigating their risks. Educating and engaging residents about the smart appliances and devices being installed will bring them along on the journey, demonstrating how IoT can improve their home environment, reduce the impact of fuel poverty and help save them money.
Technology advances such as IoT can ensure that housing providers remain compliant, and by integrating IoT data into a centralised dashboard with an open API, it can unlock the ability to automate more services from maintenance to fire safety to streamline future processes.
To find out further details on FireAngel Connected, please visit fireangel.co.uk/connected.
John McEwan is head of software engineering at FireAngel.
