Housing trust adopts sensor technology
HALTON Housing is to use cutting-edge sensors and software to detect issues such as damp and fuel poverty.
The housing association picked North Wales firm Pinacl Solutions to develop the system after running a competition with Liverpool-based Sensor City to find companies with the most ‘novel environmental assessment technology’ (NEAT).
As well as pre-empting and issuing alerts about damp and fuel poverty, the sensors are also designed to spot abandoned properties.
A Pinacl spokeswoman said Halton Housing owns and manages 7,500 homes in Runcorn and Widnes and is one of the first housing associations in the UK to adopt the technology.
It is hoped that adopting the system will slash maintenance bills and help tenants to stay healthy by spotting problems before they arise
It also means necessary work can take place quickly.
The sensors provide real-time information about the trust’s properties.
Alerts can be automatically generated if problems arise or are predicted.
Up to four sensors will be installed in homes, typically covering the bathroom, bedroom, living room and kitchen.
They can also monitor humidity, temperature, carbon dioxide and movement and are able to provide hourly readings.
Mark Lowe, Pinacl’s business development director, said: “Social housing providers are responsible for managing tens of thousands of properties, often with extremely small teams.
“Poor property conditions cause serious problems for the property and, more importantly, tenant health if they are not addressed quickly.
“It costs in the region of £25,000 to fully refit the average social housing property, a cost that our technology helps to avoid.
“We know from our research that around one in 10 properties have an urgent need of intervention which would require renovation running into tens of thousands of pounds if not detected early on and acted upon.”
Dr Joanne Phoenix, Sensor City business development manager, said: “We saw a great response to this challenge from the sensor and IoT (internet of things) community with good quality new technologies and we are delighted that Halton Housing are putting Pinacl’s sensor solution into field trials.”
Mr Lowe said: “The IoT is a current technology buzzword but what we have done is develop a solution to a long-term and hugely expensive challenge facing social housing providers.
“We have made good progress in the housing sector since launching the product and we are now looking at further opportunities in areas such as domiciliary care.”
Pinacl Solutions is based in St Asaph, North Wales, and works across the UK.
The company is 35 years old and employs almost 50 staff. ●