Midlothian Council has begun a rollout of over 7,000 Aico Ei1000G gateways across its housing portfolio to improve compliance, help with asset management and enhance residents’ safety.
The council opted to install the Ei1000G gateway across its entire housing stock; Midlothian Council had already installed Aico’s 3000 Series alarms in their properties which allowed for an easy expansion of the alarm system.
Because of Aico’s Ei3000MRF modules installed in the council’s existing alarms, the devices can integrate seamlessly with the gateway to enable remote data monitoring with insights accessible via the HomeLink portal through IoT technology.
Midlothian Council’s building maintenance service (BMS) team has installed over 1,800 gateways in residents’ homes, as well as environmental sensors. The gateway extracts information from the fire and carbon-monoxide alarms and sends it direct to the HomeLink portal.
Portal for real-time monitoring
Using various reporting tools, the HomeLink portal allows for the easy monitoring of fire and carbon-monoxide alarm system performance, allowing the BMS team to comply with legislation while creating safer homes. With easy access to this information, the team can forecast alarm replacement and make maintenance easier, with handy reporting tools helping them to stay compliant.
The discreet and secure Ei1020 environmental sensors can be placed throughout a property to monitor temperature and humidity. These sensors then connect to the gateway if there is a potential problem with humidity, excess cold or heat, or poor indoor air quality, meaning the BMS team has the insights to tackle these problems, maintain compliance and adopt preventative strategies for their housing stock.
Signature of mould
Aico’s damp and mould insight indicates the risk of a room or property developing or already having visible mould. If a such room or property is identified, the ‘super insight’ known as the ‘signature of mould’ will include whether the cause of mould is environmental or structural.
Alan Ramage, planned maintenance manager, Midlothian Council, said, “What we’ve experienced since installing these units has provided us with a view into each property, gaining accurate information of the situation within a house which can help us decide on future plans of action.
“It enhances customer interaction regarding the way that they’re heating and ventilating their homes and its implications. This live information gives us data based on several days and weeks rather than just the snapshot in time that we relied on in the past when our housing officers visited properties during their inspections.”
Resident communications
Midlothian Council and Aico are planning to run a residents’ engagement day in the near future. These encourage active dialogue between housing providers and their tenants, Aico’s mobile units and the company’s regional specification managers.
By using Aico’s Connected Home solution, Midlothian Council has ensured that it remains compliant with current legislation as well as looking towards the future. The system has given them a platform that reduces the resources that they need to monitor their housing portfolio and provide the best service to residents.
The electricians carrying out the installation for Midlothian Council have also undertaken Aico’s ‘expert installer’ training on Aico’s mobile training and demonstration unit at Midlothian House. With such a large-scale installation, it was vital that the BMS team ensured its electricians were trained on the correct installation of the gateway. Aico’s expert installer training scheme is designed to ensure electricians have all the information they need to install domestic fire and carbon-monoxide alarm systems, as well as the integration of the gateway, environmental sensors and HomeLink portal.
HomeLink app for residents
The council plans to highlight the benefits of the HomeLink app for residents, which provides residents with helpful tips and advice on how to improve their living environment.
The HomeLink app is designed for residents to take the first step in their defence against housing problems. Residents will be warned when their homes conditions are sub-optimal and covers risks such as mould, indoor air pollution and excess heat or cold. Tailored recommendations will be sent to residents to advise them on how to fix these issues or implement preventative maintenance to avoid problems in the first place. By using the HomeLink app, residents can take matters into their own hands and reduce the need for inspection visits.
