We're going to trial new technology in our tenants’ homes to help identify and address conditions that could lead to the development of damp and mould problems before they impact living conditions and possessions.
We're doing this because damp and mould can cause our tenants a lot of disruption and upset and can cost the council a significant amount of money to put right. By better measuring and understanding the conditions that lead to damp and mould, we will be able to provide more timely advice to you on lifestyle changes that can help reduce this.
It also means we can focus our resources on prevention and early intervention, avoiding the costly and disruptive measures that we sometimes need to take to fix these problems.
The project
This project will use new technology that enables us to place wireless sensors in multiple locations at relatively low cost. These types of solutions are commonly referred to as Internet of Things, or IoT for short.
The sensors are battery-operated and use standard radio frequencies (via a technology called LoRaWAN) to transmit their readings back to our network. This means they do not need to use your household power or internet connection. Once fitted they require almost zero maintenance.
The initial trial will last for approximately 3 months. If successful we will extend this into a full pilot, at which point you may be asked if you wish to continue hosting the sensors.
The resulting data from the trial will be kept for a maximum of 3 years. You can read the Housing Conditions Sensor Trial Privacy Notice online.
The sensors and their installation
4 sensors in total are installed in each property, typically in the main living areas of the home. Each sensor is about the size of a central heating thermostat and is installed at around the same height as one.
The sensors for the trial will be mounted using a temporary fixing so they can be easily removed in the future.
The installation of the sensors will take approximately 1 hour.