In today's technologically advanced world, power monitoring has become an essential aspect of building management. From ensuring energy efficiency...
The Importance of Power Monitoring in UK Social Housing
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LiveWest Helps Pioneer Proactive Maintenance Revolution
Residents of LiveWest experienced a leap into the future of home maintenance when an innovative trial with Vericon’s BCM module flipped the script on traditional reactive maintenance, leading to a fast resolution to an undetected boiler issue.
Pioneering technology and a vigilant Remote Diagnoses Team ensured that a boiler issue was identified before one resident had risen from their sleep. It was 7am on 1 March 2024, and an alert from Vericon notified of a potential issue as automated systems were busy at work.
With just a click on the Vericon portal to review data and fault codes, information flowed seamlessly to LiveWest’s Remote Diagnosis team by the time their workday commenced at 8am. The speed and efficiency of this process were astonishing. By 9am, not only had the issue been identified but also rectified—all before it had even dawned on the homeowner that there was an issue with their heating system.
The remote team displayed exceptional capability by promptly contacting the customer, explaining an issue they were yet unaware of, and guiding them through an easy fix—simply topping up their central heating system pressure.
Paul Hutchins, Innovations Contract Manager at LiveWest said:
“Working with the Vericon team and their eco-system has been a refreshing experience. The Vericon trial has given LiveWest an opportunity to fully understand an option as a future service strategy and how the innovative concepts could flow into existing structures and workflows.”
“Ultimately, LiveWest is committed to delivering the highest possible customer service and response whilst remaining agile and evolving in the ever-changing environment, values that are clearly reflected in the Vericon team.”
This episode is one of many that illustrates proactive maintenance’s superiority over traditional approaches. Costs were minimised, customer inconvenience was negated, and LiveWest demonstrated astute management—all without stepping foot inside the homeowner’s property.
The success of this trial showcases remote monitoring’s potential to transform property management by preventing breakdowns before they become critical issues.
In today’s fast-paced world, such pre-emptive measures should become the new standard in maintaining our homes.
This initiative by LiveWest not only saved the day for one household but also marked as proof that proactive maintenance is no longer just a concept but an actionable reality with substantial benefits for both service providers and customers alike.
LiveWest’s trial with the Vericon BCM unit is not just successful; It’s a peek into a future where housing providers leverage technology not just to react faster but to prevent issues before they ever become a problem. A win-win for both service providers and residents alike.
Connected technology offers numerous advantages for social housing providers including improving efficiency, cost savings, and ensuring the well-being of residents.
Boiler monitoring ensures the safety of residents by continuously monitoring the boiler’s performance and detecting any malfunctions or potential hazards. It also enables efficient energy usage and allows housing providers to have a better understanding of their assets.
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Selwood Housing’s Success Story: Transforming Damp and Mould Identification
Selwood Housing, a non-profit housing association, partnered with Vericon in April 2022 in a collaborative effort to eliminate damp and mould from their social housing stock. This case study explores the challenges faced by Selwood Housing, the innovative solution provided by Vericon, and the significant benefits derived from this strategic partnership.
In their quest to identify property defects causing damp and mould, Selwood Housing encountered obstacles due to a lack of sufficient equipment to monitor internal temperatures and humidity levels effectively. This technological deficiency hampered their mission significantly.
Vericon stepped in with their ground-breaking product, the Surveyor Cube. This wireless set of devices was strategically installed across different areas within the properties, including living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. Equipped to track indoor temperature variations and humidity levels, the Surveyor Cube provided real-time data that proved invaluable to Selwood Housing’s damp and mould team in identifying problem areas.
Working with Vericon has yielded several key benefits for Selwood Housing. Firstly, by sharing their findings with residents, Selwood Housing has improved customer engagement, fostered more meaningful relationships, and empowered residents to have greater control over their living experience. Additionally, the partnership has granted Selwood Housing deeper insights into problem areas, enabling the implementation of more comprehensive and targeted solutions for damp and mould issues. This understanding of the root causes allows for effective remedies that enhance living conditions for residents. As a result of these improvements, Selwood Housing has witnessed a significant rise in resident satisfaction.
The Surveyor Cube
Vericon’s exceptional customer support throughout the installation process played a pivotal role in the smooth implementation of the project. The residents’ acceptance of the new technology was a notable victory, as their genuine interest in the collected data and appreciation for the transparency led to increased satisfaction.This positive perception of Selwood Housing and their shared commitment to resolving damp and mould issues resulted in a significant improvement in the residents’ living conditions.
Rob McFerran of Selwood Housing commends Vericon’s Surveyor Cube, stating,
“The implementation of The Surveyor Cube has proved to be a valuable tool for Selwood Housing and our customers, improving resident comfort and aiding in our joint effort to eradicate damp and mould from our housing stock.”
Vericon’s technology has played a pivotal role in helping Selwood Housing significantly enhance their damp and mould identification and resolution process. The result is happier residents and a more efficient approach to managing their property portfolio. This case study stands as a testament to the power of strategic partnerships and innovative solutions in overcoming complex challenges.
Using connected technology to monitor damp and mould can help reduce health risks, prevent property damage, and save you time and money.
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South Cambridgeshire District Council Trialling Connected Boiler Control Technology
South Cambridgeshire District Council Trialling Connected Boiler Control Technology
Intelligent remote monitoring and control technology from Vericon Systems, a leading provider of innovative building management systems, is helping South Cambridgeshire District Council to realise the operational and financial benefits of ‘connected’ boiler control.
As part of a new trial agreement, the Council has installed a small number of Vericon’s BCM devices in its tenants homes to enable the remote monitoring not only of a boiler’s health and condition in real time, but also predicts when the boiler might fail in the future, potentially leaving their customers without heating or hot water.
The devices are monitored and managed via Vericon’s online portal, with performance data that can be recorded and analysed to predict and identify common failures such as low pressure, electrical or mechanical parts failures and even frozen condensate pipes.
Chris Brown, Senior Heating Surveyor at South Cambridgeshire District Council, says the Council is always striving to create greater efficiencies:
“Tenant engagement is always high on our list of priorities. We’re particularly interested in new, smart technology and solutions that make diagnosing and fixing boilers more efficient for us and effortless for our tenants.”
During the trial, through ongoing support and service from Vericon, Chris and his team have been able to see BCM in action first-hand and how it can be utilised to accurately identify faults:
“With one of our tenants boiler, we were receiving numerous fault alerts a day, but when our maintenance company visited the home, they were unable to identify any faults or issues with the boiler,”
“During a planned video conference call with Vericon, I decided to call the tenant to see if they could help diagnose the issue. They proceeded to explain the boiler had been going off for several weeks and unbeknown to her, each time she pushed a button to try and resolve the problem, she was actually pressing the reset button. On the call, using the Vericon portal I was able to see the boiler come back to life as she pushed the button, proving the system was working correctly. We were then able to arrange for our team to visit the tenant and effect the repair in under 10 minutes, and the boiler has not failed since!”
Bernard Cook, Managing Director at Vericon Systems, says BCM creates greater efficiencies for homeowners, housing providers, building managers and tenants alike:
“Interfacing directly with the boiler’s control bus allows the device to perform a range of actions not possible with a read-only Smart Thermostat. Preventative maintenance programmes can be put in place that not only save money in the long term, but also ensure legal and regulatory compliance is consistently maintained.”
Homeserve Trialling Smart Boiler Control Technology From Vericon Systems
Homeserve Trialling Smart Boiler Control Technology From Vericon Systems
Smart remote monitoring and control technology from Vericon Systems, a leading provider of innovative building management systems, is helping HomeServe to realise the financial and operational benefits of ‘connected’ boiler control.
It is also helping to provide the Milton Keynes-based housing provider with even greater assurance that it is complying with relevant health and safety legislation, as well as saving money.
As part of the roll out, Grand Union has installed more than 650 of Vericon’s EmeRed devices across 55 buildings in its housing portfolio, including in some new build specifications.
EmeRed monitors the performance of every light and automatically transmits the results to Vericon’s online portal. This gives Grand Union complete visibility of the status of individual lights in a single building, as well as performance trends across the entire estate.
It is also already delivering 100% accuracy in fault diagnosis leading to a significant improvement in first time ‘fix’ rates.
As part of a new trial agreement, HomeServe has installed 250 of Vericon’s BCM:Connect devices in its customers’ homes to enable the remote monitoring not only of a boiler’s health and condition in real time, but also predicts when the boiler might fail in the future, potentially leaving their customers without heating or hot water.
Richard Sanzeri, Head of Innovation at HomeServe, says the company’s mission is always striving to create efficiencies while improving customer service:
“We are particularly interested in new technology and solutions that make diagnosing and fixing boilers more efficient for us and more effortless for the customer.
“Boiler faults are not only a huge inconvenience to our customers, but they can also be expensive for service providers when it comes to engineer call outs and repairs. The ability to monitor a boiler’s health, and even fix a fault remotely, saves both time and money while also delivering a far better service for the customer.”.
Vericon’s BCM:Connect smart technology enables HomeServe to increase the likelihood of a first-time fix by remotely diagnosing issues and pre-ordering the parts to put them right, performance data can be recorded and analysed (through a dedicated portal – Vericon’s VS:Connect) to predict and identify common failures such as low pressure, electrical or mechanical parts failures and even frozen condensate pipes.
“Although the devices have only been live for two months,” Richard continues, “we are already seeing very positive results. Diagnosis has been 100% accurate and our first-time fix rates have been very high and continue to increase.”
Bernard Cook, Managing Director at Vericon Systems, says BCM:Connect offers a number of key benefits:
“The impact of a broken boiler in a domestic property, care home or indeed any building that requires the constant availability of hot water can be more than an inconvenience; it may also be a risk to health.
“Interfacing directly with the boiler’s control bus allows the device to perform a range of actions not possible with a read-only Smart Thermostat. Utilising our smart technologies, BCM:Connect creates greater efficiencies for homeowners, housing providers, building managers and tenants alike. Preventative maintenance programmes can be put in place that not only save money in the long term, but also ensure legal and regulatory compliance is consistently maintained. Through integration with external sensors the device can also report environmental concerns such as damp and mould.”
HomeServe is one the UK’s leading home assistance providers, with over 25 years’ experience of taking care of UK homes with its range of home insurance, repairs and maintenance services and more than 1.8 million customers nationwide.
Curo Case Study (2023)
Curo Group
Who are Curo?
Curo is one of the largest landlords in the Southwest operating across the social and commercial housing market, as well as the care and support sector. Its history dates back to 1999 when the Somer Community Housing Trust was established after the transfer of housing stock from Bath & North East Somerset Council. Later, Shape Housing Association (formerly Bath Self Help) was welcomed, and in 2005, Redland Housing Association was added, bringing an additional 1,400 homes and expanded affordable housing solutions for the community.
Products:
Project Overview
Curo was exploring smart technology to provide a proactive maintenance plan that would improve their customers’ lives and wellbeing. To gain critical data and remotely monitor the heating and environment in homes, Curo used Vericon devices to capture real-time telemetry. Automated alerts and reporting then highlighted any cases of damp and mould, allowing Curo to proactively address the issue.
BCM
A boiler diagnostic device that provides remote automation for landlords, enabling them to address housing stock challenges
with real-time data.
AutoFill
Intelligent autonomous system filling device.
MultiDOT
In-property environmental monitoring, measuring temperature and humidity.
… housing associations are heading towards proactive maintenance rather then constantly being reactive …
Working with Vericon
“The communication and ongoing partnership working has been vital for us as we continue on the journey at Curo with the use of smart tech. Its always felt with Vericon, that they are invested with what we want to achieve and work with us to try new things ensuring we get the most from the products for our customers.”
“The pilot has clearly been successful in tackling damp and mould long term and helped provide those long-term solutions…”
Luke McCreery
Director of Planned and Commercial Works
Results
The trial has been a huge success. Curo started on the journey to reduce callouts and failures for their customers through remote monitoring, proactive maintenance, and over-the-phone fixes.
To date, this has saved over 200 engineer visits at an average job cost of £110.
They soon realised that the product would be vital in the management of their damp and mould cases, ensuring they identified the root cause, removing misconception of customer lifestyle, and completing the works to remove the risk of damp and mould for the customer permanently.
Conclusion
Since the trial ended Curo has purchased an further 210 products from Vericon and this investment will continue over the coming months.
BCM
A boiler diagnostic device that provides remote automation for landlords, enabling them to address housing stock challenges
with real-time data.
MultiDOT
In-property environmental monitoring, measuring temperature and humidity.
EnviroDOT
In-property environmental monitoring, measuring temperature, humidity and CO2.
Surveyor Cube
Contains a BCM which has a three pin plug fitted to allow for simple power-up and wireless MultiDots – temperature and humidity sensors.