Home » Manage your home » Smart homes

Smart homes

Smart home technology can be referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT devices are connected wirelessly to a network (internet or other communication networks) and have an ability to collect and transmit data to other devices and systems.

What is smart home technology?

Some of the types include:

Sensors and smart thermostats to monitor energy use, temperature, humidity, air quality, motion and light
Boiler remote monitoring & maintenance
Smart smoke alarms
Water temperature and leakage detectors
Augmented reality (AR) technology
Artificial intelligence (AI) home automation systems
Electric vehicles (EV) charging points

What benefits will smart home technology bring to me?

Here are some of the reasons why it’s great:

Contributes towards improving lives and well-being
Helps to ensure properties are safe, compliant, healthy and energy efficient
Can help to support the independent living of elderly and vulnerable people in the community
Allows us to be more proactive and effective with maintenance and management of the properties
Helps to avoid escalation of the problems through early detection which can help to resolve or eliminate health related compensation claims
Improves residents engagement by empowering them as well as the communities they live in
Contributes towards the green transition and reduction of carbon footprint

Current pilot projects

We currently have three pilot projects, these are:

Air source heat pumps project will help identify performance of the property, controls the temperature of the home, monitors heating effectiveness and highlights any potential issues with the help of smart thermostat;
Damp & mould project will use smart sensors which will help to identify the early onset of problems such as damp and mould, plus offer advice on how to reduce or stop the problem;
Virtual assistance – using this system you can show us a repair or issue through live video/image-sharing leading to more first-time resolution and clearer diagnosis.

Pilot – Air Source Heat Pump

What the project is

As an organisation we need to be moving towards heating homes using cleaner energy and as part of that we already have around 200 properties with ASHPs. However, we don’t really have a lot of information on how they are performing for our tenants, that’s why smart thermostats and energy clamps will be installed into the 160 properties with air source heat pumps and solar panels. The aim is to identify performance of the property providing real time data insights into the energy used to heat the property.

Why we’re doing it

This project will help us to identify if any additional investment is required to ensure best efficiency of the properties and help us to improve homes in the future. We will also be able to provide support to the tenants and ensure they know how to use heating system and potentially help them save on the heating costs. With real time data insights, we will be able to identify any potential issues such as fuel poverty and risk of damp and mould, overheating.

Benefits to tenants

This technology will allow tenants to easily manage their heating and hot water – whenever suits them via the smart phone app. It will help to better understand when and how it is most efficient to use heating and potentially help tenants to reduce energy usage.

It will help to reduce carbon usage through unnecessary visits, tenants will have an ability to contact us if they have any issues with using the device or the heating system itself.

Tenants can receive messages directly from Ongo – through Switchee device, it allows securely send messages, schedule appointments and ask for feedback on repairs.

The technology

The Switchee thermostat has been specifically designed as an enterprise solution for social housing. It is designed and manufactured in the UK. Switchee combines social purpose, intelligent analytics and smart in-home technology to create services which enable residents and landlords to do more with less.

Switchee system monitors temperature, light, motion, humidity, air quality, local weather conditions, electricity usage and set times for heating and hot water. This information and analytics help to identify and alert potential issues.

Click this link to watch a video which provides more detail on Switchee.

How homes have been selected

For the purpose of this project properties are being selected based on the heating system type to ensure compatibility with Switchee devices. We will be monitoring how air source heat pumps are functioning across different portfolio of the properties, including retrofitted and new build.

Pilot – Damp & Mould

What the project is

Damp can cause mould, which produces allergens, irritants and even toxic substances. Damp and mould can be difficult problem to track and resolve. It can take up lots of time and is frustrating for all of us. Damp and mould project will use smart environmental sensors which will be installed in around 80 properties. The aim is to identify the early onset of problems such as damp and mould, plus offer advice on how to reduce or stop the problem.

Why we’re doing it

This project will help us identify potential issues by monitoring and reporting on the atmospheric conditions within the properties. Instant alerts to potential issues can go straight to the tenants enabling them to reduce or even stop the problem. Useful information will be shared on the tenants app on how to maintain homes at a healthy condition.

Benefits to tenants

This technology will allow tenants to monitor the condition of their homes and will provide actionable insights on how to reduce the risk of issues such as damp and mould. It will empower tenants to take corrective action i.e. opening windows when the humidity is too high, which will help to prevent further problems leading to less intervention from Ongo. All this should lead to the quality of their home, health and wellbeing being improved. It will also help to reduce carbon usage through unnecessary visits.

The technology

HomeLINK is a multi-award-winning high-tech software team within Aico that leverages cutting edge home integration and analytics technologies to address the needs of us as a landlord and our tenants. Smart environmental sensors will be monitoring atmospheric conditions in each room giving a holistic insight into each property. This information and analytics help to identify and alert potential issues.

Tenants app will also provide useful information of how to maintain homes at a healthy condition. Click this link to watch a video which provides more detail about HomeLINK.

Pilot – Virtual Assistance

Virtual assistance

What the project is

It can be hard to explain the problem for our tenants without an ability to show during the initial contact with us. With remote visual assistance software customer advisers will be able to remotely access our tenants’ smart phones to see repair/issues live via camera.

This project has been launched in August 2022 with more and more advisers offering to use this system whilst talking to our tenants.

Why we’re doing it

This project will allow our customer advisers to help sort repair/issues through first point of contact, or more effectively raise jobs so our engineers know exactly what they’re dealing with.

Benefits to tenants

This software will help ensure that issues/repairs are identified and resolved quicker, reducing pressure on our resource, but increasing productivity leading to increased first-time-fix rate. Reduced number of visits would not only help reduce carbon footprint, but it would also mean that those appointments which require urgent attention can be attended quicker, which would lead to increased satisfaction of our tenants.

The technology

Hostcomm has 15 years’ experience in the provision of securely hosted contact centre and hosted telephony services in the UK and throughout the world. Their aim is to deliver maximum performance through highly reliable solutions and services.

Remote visual inspections make it possible for inspectors to quickly, effectively, and efficiently complete inspections without having to leave the office and spend hours on the road.

You can find out more information by clicking this link.

Leaseholder information

We recognise that entering into a lease is a serious ongoing financial commitment so we want to give you as much information as possible about having a lease.

Your community

Find out what’s going on in your community