Integrating connectivity into boilers

Managing the housing stock of a tenant population comes with its own unique set of challenges. In relation to heating and hot water, many of these challenges arise because of a lack of visibility into what is happening within the full heating ecosystem. Constant visits and calls to every household to assess the situation isn’t practical or cost effective, paving the way for connected appliances and remote monitoring.

Connectivity is often sold as a dream solution, but without much guidance on practical applications. However, here are three key areas that integrating connectivity could benefit you as a housing association:

1. Understanding the Problem
Speaking to one housing association, they estimated 30-40% of their engineering visits were what they deemed as unnecessary. By that, they were referring to calls such as repressurising a tenant’s heating system. This can be done easily by the tenant themselves with simple guidance over the phone, rather than sending an engineer to resolve this.

Connectivity enables a support centre to use data to understand a problem before a decision is made and react accordingly e.g. calling a tenant and advising them of the necessary action to drive self-management, or as the data is in-real time, enables proactive action to be taken before a tenant even notices an issue to either resolve or minimise any boiler downtime.

2. Increase First Fix Rates
Utilising the data insights above helps to increase ‘first-fix’ rates, as engineers can be advised of the fault code with a short description of the issue in real-time prior to the visit by a member of the support centre. With this information, engineers can then ensure their van is stocked with the appropriate spares.

In addition, as fault codes are sent immediately to the portal, engineers can work with the support centre to advise on estimated fix times in turn helping to improve daily scheduling as diaries can be populated to maximise the resource available based on geography and fault type.

3. Understand Usage Patterns
By tracking and charting tenant usage and appliance performance over time per property, the findings can be used to identify and address unusual activity e.g. a tenant running their heating at 30˚C constantly, then upon investigation discovering they open a window when it gets too hot. Alternatively, on the other end of the spectrum, the findings can help to identify possible fuel poverty based on lack of consumption.

However, for a more in-depth picture, property square footage can be captured to allow a like-for-like comparison and filtering of data. Meaning, regardless of house type or size, you can see exactly what tenants are having to spend per m² to heat the property. This helps focus other energy saving projects such as cavity wall and loft insulation to the properties that need it most.
Introducing Ideal Heating’s Link Range

Available August 2022, launched alongside the new Logic² boiler range, Link is Ideal Heating’s remote monitoring platform that has been developed in-house specifically for Ideal Heating boilers. The Link Cellular module contains a roaming SIM card that communicates to the Link cloud portal using mobile phone technology. There’s no monthly or yearly data subscription, Link Cellular is a one-off cost for 10 years of data. Install in 5 minutes as no external wiring is required, simply plug the module into the aperture mount on the new Logic² range.  

Once connected, Link Cellular will then send real-time boiler data to Ideal Heating’s purpose-built portal. All boiler data including faults is sent directly to the cloud, accessible by an unlimited number of user accounts with multiple role options available (admin, installer, user). The Link Portal APIs can also be integrated into your existing IT systems seamlessly.

For more information visit: https://idealheating.com/social-housing/products/logic2 or contact your local Sales Manager.

Pic 1. Ideal Heating’s Logic² boiler with the Link Celluar
Pic 2. Link Cellular sends real-time boiler data to the Ideal Heating portal.

5 reasons why you’ll love the new Logic² boiler

The new Logic² range has launched with a range of new features and components that:
1. Make Logic² even easier for your engineers to install and service
2. Reduce the number of unnecessary engineer call outs

Over 1,100 detailed responses were generated from a heating engineer survey, combined with 13 years of learnings and 4 million Logic boilers sold, to help Ideal Heating create the new Logic² range. This is still the Logic range you and your engineers love, only better.

Here are 5 of the top new Logic² features:

1. Integrate with the New Link Remote Monitoring Solution

Logic² boilers can be integrated with Ideal Heating’s Link remote boiler monitoring solution. The ability to access real time information from the Logic² boiler, including performance data and fault codes, brings a whole new level of insight for those managing the heating and hot water demands of a large tenant population.
The data provides actionable insights for greater control of maintenance costs, sustainability, compliance and tenant welfare.
Developed in-house, Link is a one-off cost for 10 years of data with no monthly or yearly data subscription.

2. Push-Fit PRV Connection

A new push-fit PRV pipe connection has been added to the Logic² range as standard, making installation quicker and easier for your engineers by removing the need for a compression fitting.

3. Easy Access to the PRV

Internally, the pressure relief valve (PRV) has been moved to the left-hand side of the boiler and brought forward for better access, allowing for quicker replacement during maintenance.

4. New User Interface

The Logic² has a new larger, higher resolution screen and improved user interface to make navigation through the menu much easier for your engineers during commissioning and servicing, with the added ability to scroll back through the menu.

5. New Green Filling Loop Handle

The new green handle on the filling loop makes it easier to identify enabling a support centre to guide tenants through repressurising their system over the phone to reduce unnecessary engineer call-outs.

Find out more: idealheating.com/social-housing/products/logic2