This week we received the good news that Aico and Barnet Homes were chosen as winners in the Computing Magazine Digital Technical Awards for their partnership in fire safety works in Barnet.
The winning case study was the roll-out of a planned programme of fire safety measures across approximately 15,000 properties in Barnet Homes’ and Opendoor Homes’ housing stock. Work on the programme is progressing well, with almost 4,00 homes now covered.
The programme has installed essential fire detection and internet-enabled safety equipment. and is delivered through major works, voids, new build and dedicated fire safety programmes.
The Internet of Things (IoT) devices enable Barnet Homes to remotely monitor the status of a number of compliance parameters such as;
- Smoke and Fire
- Heat
- Carbon Monoxide
The system allows remote monitoring through a gateway unit and is the vehicle that allows the fire detector status to be managed remotely and can be utilised to add environmental sensors at any point in the future.
With the new range of environmental sensors covering items related to mould growth, damp and condensation, Barnet Homes can add these units at a fraction of the cost due to the commitment and prior investment in Aico gateway units.
As well as the safety benefits of the system, there is a sizable saving in life cycle costs and servicing and repairs costs that will be shared with residents through service charges.
A major factor in the cost-saving element is the reduced amount of visits to the property, which enables staff to be notified of dangers such as carbon monoxide, fire, head removal or power outages. This is a very useful tool and has already proved invaluable as a safety system in the early stages of implementation.