When Clydebank Housing was looking to achieve compliance with the latest regulations governing homes in Scotland, it was Aico that the organisation turned to provide fire and CO alarms. We learn more about how the partnership has been a resounding success.
Clydebank Housing is using Aicoβs 3000 and 600 series detectors as well as its Ei1000G SmartLink gateway to ensure tenant safety, future-proof its housing stock and to meet the latest legislation to maintain compliance. In 1999, the housing provider acquired 750 houses from Scottish Homes, increasing its total stock to around 1,100 properties, catering for all types of residents including the elderly, disabled people and those with special needs.
Regulatory changes
The changes in legislation relating to the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (Tolerable Standard) Order 2019 specifies that homes must have satisfactory equipment for detecting fire and carbon monoxide (CO). Clydebank Housing therefore embarked on a tender for the delivery of fire and CO alarms to maintain compliance.
A requirement of the legislation is for all smoke and heat alarms in a property to be interlinked, which encouraged Clydebank Housing to use Aicoβs 3000 series detectors with SmartLink technology. Clydebank Housingβs upgrade program applies to over 800 properties including several high-rise blocks. The fire and CO alarm upgrade will not only ensure its housing stock is compliant, but it will also increase tenant safety.
The SmartLink specification was initially considered only for its tower blocks because access can often be difficult. Furthermore, there is no gas heating in these properties so it was clear that use of the gateway represented an obvious cost saving because the alarm systemβs integrity can be checked remotely (this is usually done during the annual gas-safety check).
Clydebank Housing will receive real-time alerts about its properties, ensuring faster response times and assurance that the alarms are working properly.
Real-time alerts
The housing provider then accepted the wisdom of using the SmartLink gateway for all of its properties. The gateway monitors every linked alarm and will notify Clydebank Housing on a wider range of alarm events in real-time through a web-based portal to provide extra visibility. Remote access to information such as sensor status, alarm replacement dates, battery life, activations, testing of alarms and detector-head removals will empower a proactive approach to asset management.
As an accredited βAico Expert Installerβ, City Technical Services was responsible for part of the upgrade programme. Managing Director, Kenny Henderson, said: βWeβve been very impressed with the SmartLink gateway, particularly within the tower blocks where you tend to think GSM signals might be a problem given their solid construction, but we found that notifications were delivered instantly and the use of a roaming SIM card is ideal because WiFi or LoRaWAN isnβt always available.β
Flexible connectivity
The gateway receives information through radio frequency (RF) signals, with the encrypted data sent to Aicoβs cloud-based portal using roaming GSM connectivity; this feature is a big advantage because it removes the need for Clydebank Housingβs properties to have WiFi or broadband in order for the SmartLink gateway to work. The information collected through the gateway is then accessible through a web-based dashboard where Clydebank Housing can generate reports on its propertiesβ fire and CO alarm performance.
The housing provider will use the dashboard to ensure detectors are being tested regularly. The real-time data will also help with identifying sounding alarms; this can cause confusion for people due to the interlinking of all smoke alarms required by the updated Scottish legislation.
Jack Devlin, Acting Housing Services Manager, Clydebank Housing, said: βWeβre really excited to have nearly finished our SmartLink gateway roll out. In short, the gateway is our vehicle for gathering data from our properties and it made sense to get these installed at the earliest opportunity so that additional sensors can be added when we need them.
βWe are future-proofing our housing stock for years to come. With additional sensors in the pipeline, these could be added to our existing gateway to provide remote insights on environmental data such air quality, fuel poverty, humidity and temperature as well as gathering data on the detection systems themselves.
βBeing able to run reports on the portal, such as faults and replacement dates, makes forecasting our maintenance plans a much easier process. Furthermore, weβve found that the gateway has been a very successful way of engaging with our tenants and we’re keen to see our new resident App in action because it will empower our tenants to make lifestyle changes based on data gathered from our new environmental sensors.β
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