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The Internet of Things

Are housing providers ready for the Internet of Things?, asks Stewart Davison

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Are housing providers ready for the Internet of Things?

Billions of pounds are spent each year by housing providers to ensure their stock is kept at a decent standard, and offers residents a safe, warm and weatherproof place to live. Providers, from local authorities to housing associations to universities, have dedicated engineers and maintenance teams ready to respond to all sorts of issues that might crop up – from routine inspections for damp, to the unexpected failure of a boiler or a dripping tap.

But looking into the not-too-distant future, the technology behind the Internet of Things could revolutionise the way providers manage their stock through the use of smart asset management. Providers could soon hardwire their homes so they can predict when these repairs will be needed.

Take ‘smart boilers’, for example, which could alert a provider if it has an unexpected rise in carbon monoxide emissions. Or fridges which could set off an alarm system if a vulnerable or elderly resident hasn’t eaten anything for two days, or humidity sensors fitted to detect when a house is susceptible to damp. The possibilities of the IoT are seemingly endless, and they could have a huge impact on housing providers beyond just obvious one of making the management of their stock more efficient.

Administration and staff time, phone calls, and multiple visits to diagnose and carry out repairs could all be reduced. Providers could have an up-to-the-minute database at their fingertips which could help reduce insurance and lending premiums, as providers would be able to provide assessments of the condition of all of its housing stock, with no question marks over the accuracy of the data.

Capita, working with Inside Housing, will be addressing this issue as part of a wide-ranging survey of housing providers, the results of which will be published in January. It will be interesting to see just how many providers consider IoT technology to be a priority, and how many are already building it into their plans. Complete the survey here

And in a new paper – Smarter property management: When the Internet of Things meets smart asset management – Capita’s software services business explores how the Internet of Things is fast becoming a reality.

Forward-thinking providers are already considering how to harness the IoT to help them improve efficiency, and have already concluded the savings they could make through the use of IoT and smart asset management could be huge. The time to act is now.

To read more about the implications for social housing, read the full report here.

Stewart Davison is business development manager at outsourcing firm Capita’s software services business and will be speaking on the ‘Internet of Things’ at the Homes 2014 conference at London Olympia in the Ideas Exchange at 10.30am this Thursday.

Follow Homes 2014 on Twitter at @HomesEvent and use the hashtag #homes14.

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