In a move to improve the safety and wellbeing of residents with IoT technology, Leeds City Council has awarded a 12-month project to HomeLINK, which will see the deployment of up to 1,000 environment sensors such as temperature, humidity and CO2 in up to 1,000 homes.
Approximately 50 of these properties will also include further smart technology, such as the Aico SmartLINK Gateway, for the remote monitoring and management of fire and Carbon Monoxide alarm systems. Aico’s SmartLINK Gateway utilises the company’s latest wireless technology to report events including Fire/CO activations and alarm head removals as they happen to the SmartLINK cloud portal, for full visibility and remote monitoring to improve efficiency, reduce costs, aid with forecasting and compliance and enable smart asset management.
Luke Loveridge, CEO of HomeLINK, comments: “We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with Leeds City Council, the University of York and the University of Leeds on the next phase of this £500k GovTech challenge. Leeds is ambitious, forward thinking and at the cutting edge of the smart city agenda.
“Providing enough homes that are efficient, safe and supports people’s health and wellbeing is of critical importance; especially as people have been spending significantly more time indoors recently. With a deployment of up to 1,000 smart homes, we will test and develop new maintenance and wellbeing services for social housing residents. I’m glad that we are part of a partnership that has the experience and technology to support Leeds in this journey.”
This project, in partnership with the University of Leeds and the University of York, follows as Phase Two from an earlier deployment in six properties. The initial phase included interviews, feedback and collaboration with over 100 residents, resulting in clear objectives for the second phase: integration of property management systems, mapping processes and the development of a resident app.
The resident app is a vital component of the project as Phase One identified that by providing residents with their own data and suggested actions they could take reduced the risk of condensation, damp and mould. This project also had significant positive impact on relationships and engagement with residents, with all residents keen to participate in Phase Two.
“Housing is a recognised public health issue with research evidence showing that poor housing presents a risk to both physical and mental health and wellbeing. This is why this project is really important and we’re keen to work with innovative partners like Leeds City Council and HomeLINK.” comments Dr Maria Horne, Associate Professor in Community and Public Health at the University of Leeds.
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