Aico - Experts & Thought Leaders

Shropshire-based home life safety expert Aico is now collaborating with The Guinness Partnership, one of the largest affordable housing providers in the UK. This collaboration focuses on enhancing the health, safety, and energy efficiency of properties across the South West of England through the implementation of Aico’s innovative HomeLINK environmental monitoring system. The Guinness Partnership is committed to improve the living conditions and well-being of their residents by embracing advanced technology to monitor key environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels. By working with Aico, they will introduce smart sensors and data analytics to ensure proactive property maintenance and healthier environments for all residents. Resident Education and Engagement As part of the initiative, both Aico and The Guinness Partnership will engage with residents through educational sessions and workshops, ensuring they understand the system and its benefits, improving living conditions. This collaborative approach is key to achieving the partnership’s goals of improving efficiency, preventing health risks, and maintaining property safety. This partnership represents a milestone in the use of technology within social housing This partnership represents a milestone in the use of technology within social housing. By adopting Aico’s HomeLINK system, The Guinness Partnership is setting a new standard for proactive property management and resident well-being. The success of this initiative in the South West sets a precedent for future projects, showcasing the transformative power of innovative solutions to meet evolving social housing challenges. Social housing sector The success of this collaboration is also attributed to the leadership and expertise involved. Tim Lewry, Regional Head of Service at The Guinness Partnership, praised the partnership, saying: “Our collaboration with Aico on the HomeLINK system has been nothing short of exceptional. Steve Bulley’s expertise and dedication have been instrumental in making this project a reality. His influence in social housing across the UK cannot be overstated.” Steve Bulley, Aico’s Regional Specification Manager for the Southwest, added: “It has been a privilege to collaborate with The Guinness Partnership on this ground breaking project. Their senior leadership team, including Tim Lewry, Richard Seager, Lee Annunziata, and Rob Privett, have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to enhancing the well-being of their residents through innovative technology. Together, we are setting a new benchmark for the social housing sector.”

As part of their strategy to address damp and mold, West Dunbartonshire Council will deploy Aico’s HomeLINK Environmental Sensors across all their properties. The Council is one of Scotland’s major social housing landlords, currently owning and managing over 10,400 homes, and are focusing on increasing energy efficiency, tackling existing issues, such as damp and mold, as well as improving tenant safety, health and well-being. Ei1000G Gateway and Ei1025, Ei1020 Environmental Sensors The organization has taken the proactive approach to install the Ei1000G Gateway and Ei1025 and Ei1020 Environmental Sensors in each of their homes, making this Scotland’s largest scaled Internet of Things (IoT) roll out to date. By utilizing a multi-network sim card and RF interconnection, the sensors will be seamlessly retrofitted By utilizing a multi-network sim card and RF interconnection, the sensors will be seamlessly retrofitted into existing properties and can provide the council with a consistency on key air quality information, such as carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, as well as insights on fire and CO activations. This will then lead to insights such as indoor air quality (IAQ) risk, damp and mold, excess heat, cold homes, potential fuel poverty, and void risk. HomeLINK App for Residents The HomeLINK App for Residents empowers individuals to take control of their home’s indoor environment. Tenants will receive alarm testing reminders and tailored recommendations. Councilor Gurpreet Singh Johal, Convener of Housing and Communities, said: “None of our tenants should be living in a home that is affected by damp or mold and these new sensors will allow us to access information on the fabric of each home easily so we can take action quickly to resolve. Not only that, we will have data to track the problem and help us identify what the best approach to resolve it will be.” Biggest roll out of this type of sensor in Scotland Councilor Gurpreet Singh Johal adds, “This is the biggest roll out of this type of sensor in Scotland and I am proud that West Dunbartonshire’s approach to dealing with damp and mold is not only leading the way, but addressing the problem in an efficient and proactive manner.” As Scotland’s social housing sector now rapidly adopts the use of IoT technologies" Gregor Morrison, Regional Specification Manager for the West of Scotland said “As Scotland’s social housing sector now rapidly adopts the use of IoT technologies to help not only increase the level of home life safety, but to improve resident health and well-being. This progressive approach from West Dunbartonshire Council to provide all homes with the opportunity for this technology is admirable.” Incorporation of the Environmental Sensors Gregor Morrison adds, “The incorporation of the Environmental Sensors will be pivotal in generating essential home health insights, as well as providing data for the tenant through the resident app, leading to healthier and more energy-efficient homes within the community.” He continues, “Growing up in and around the social housing sector in Yoker & Clydebank, I’m really looking forward to continuing the close working relationship with WDC, and seeing first-hand the difference the technology can make within the community.”

Westmorland and Furness Council’s vision is to be "a great place to live, work and thrive," they commenced a program of works to install Aico’s 3000 Series, equipped with the Ei3000MRF module for wireless interconnection, across their housing stock. The Ei3000MRF module facilitates a sound-mimicking feature across the range of Aico’s 3000 Series. The module’s innovative sound-mimicking technology differentiates between the distinct sounds of Carbon Monoxide (CO) and domestic Fire alarms, meeting the requirements of BS EN 50292:2023. Fuel-burning appliance Ensure that people in other parts of the building are warned if there is a Carbon Monoxide leak This standard recommends that if they have a fuel-burning appliance in a room that they don’t use often (like a boiler room), they connect it to other alarms or devices in different rooms or areas. This will ensure that people in other parts of the building are warned if there is a Carbon Monoxide leak.  If Carbon Monoxide is detected, the connected alarms or devices should make a different sound than the Smoke alarm. This function is key when identifying between the two activations, so as not to dismiss a potentially fatal Carbon Monoxide activation being mistaken for a false alarm. Guidance of Aico Ability of the alarms to mimic the correct sound relevant to the activation is the icing on the cake Graham Harcourt from Westmorland Council, expressed his reasoning behind the project, stating “Our tenants’ safety is of paramount importance to us, and, with the guidance of Aico, have specified the 3000 series alarms to ensure not only compliance with legislation, but also the very best levels of customer care." "Nothing is too much of a problem for them. The ability of the alarms to mimic the correct sound relevant to the activation is the icing on the cake and ensures our tenants can take the correct approach to evacuating their home.” Aico’s commitment So far this year, over 1,350 devices have been fitted across their housing portfolio of over 2,500 homes. Sam Barker, Regional Specification Manager from Aico commented, “It is fantastic to see a council investing in their customer’s safety and recognizing the importance of alerting the resident as soon as possible when there is a CO detection.” Aico’s commitment to innovation and safety aligns seamlessly with the vision of Westmorland and Furness Council. As this technology becomes an integral part of residential safety infrastructure, Aico continues to lead the way in home life safety.