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

Ongo Photograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

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
OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

Current pilot projects

We currently have two pilot projects, these are:

  • Air source heat pumps project is helping 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 is using smart sensors which help to identify the early onset of problems such as damp and mould, plus offer advice on how to reduce or stop the problem.

Pilot – Air Source Heat Pump

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

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 didn’t really have a lot of information on how they were performing for our tenants, that’s why smart thermostats and energy clamps have been installed into the 146 properties with air source heat pumps and solar panels. Those also include 8 Carbon Neutral properties. The aim is to identify performance of the property providing real time data insights into the energy used to heat the property.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

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. It also gives us an ability 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 are able to identify any potential issues such as fuel poverty and risk of damp and mould, overheating.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

Benefits to tenants

This technology allows tenants to easily manage their heating – whenever suits them via the smart phone app. It helps to better understand when and how it is most efficient to use heating which is helping tenants to reduce energy usage.

It will help to reduce carbon usage through unnecessary visits as tenants 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.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

About the technology, company and how it’s working

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.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

How homes have been selected

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

Pilot – Damp & Mould

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

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 is using smart environmental sensors which have been installed in 82 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.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

Why we’re doing it

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

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

Benefits to tenants

This technology allows tenants to monitor the condition of their homes and is providing actionable insights on how to reduce the risk of issues such as damp and mould. It is empowering tenants to take corrective action i.e. opening windows when the humidity is too high, which is helping to prevent further problems leading to less intervention from Ongo. All this is improving the quality of their home, health and wellbeing. It’s also helping reduce carbon usage through unnecessary visits as we’re able to triage potential issues utilising our Virtual Assistance software.

Ongo Workers-7993

About the technology, company and how it’ll work

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 are monitoring atmospheric conditions in each room giving a holistic insight into each property. This information and analytics help to identify and alert potential issues.

Resident App is also providing useful information of how to maintain homes at a healthy condition. Click this link to watch a video which provides more detail about HomeLINK.

find-a-home

How homes have been selected

After different options were considered, we have selected properties based on an intelligence-based approach on properties prone to damp & mould.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

How we’ll monitor, use data and upscale

We have started data triaging end of August 2023 and have been able to identify numerous new damp and mould cases as a result. When triaging damp and mould risks we also look at other alerts to ensure we are looking at the property as a whole with a holistic view. Our tenants are successfully using the app, one tenant who has been using the app for over a year has said “since using the app, I’ve learnt what to do in certain situations and data helps to make sure that my actions make a difference, it’s reassuring that I’m doing the right thing”.

Completed pilot projects

Virtual assistance

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 are able to remotely access our tenants’ smart phones to see repair/issues live via camera.

The project to test this software for a year has been launched in August 2022. After successful trial we have implemented this software across organisation with more and more teams utilising it within their processes.

This software helps ensuring 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 does not only help reduce carbon footprint, but it also means that those appointments which require urgent attention can be attended quicker, which leads to increased satisfaction of our tenants.

You can find out more information by clicking this link.

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.

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.
Find out what's going on in your community

Your community

Find out what’s going on in your community