by Gareth Iveson, Relationship Manager, Aico
Acis Homes Gainsborough, part of the charitable Acis Group, is dedicated to managing high-quality social housing for local people in need. In 2025, they launched a programme to install Aico’s Gateway and Environmental Sensors into their properties, with 91 installations completed so far. Across these properties, 536 rooms are being monitored across 627 connected devices, integrating with existing Aico fire and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm systems in place.
The initiative is driven by safety, energy efficiency, and compliance with expanding regulations like Awaab’s Law. This rollout was prompted by ongoing damp and mould concerns, as well as the need to gather energy performance evidence following recent solar PV projects.
Connected Gateways and Sensor System
Acis Homes implemented the Ei1000G Gateway alongside the Ei1025 Environmental Sensors to access real-time monitoring via the HomeLINK Portal. This allows a live view of indoor conditions such as temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels, notifications of alarm activations, alarm head removals, and system tests, as well as clear reports of environmental risks like damp and mould.
The integration of the Gateway also enables residents to access data through the Resident App, giving them greater visibility into the conditions of their homes by providing personalised insights. The app empowers them to take an active role in maintaining the health of their home, complementing landlords’ ongoing efforts to manage and care for their properties.
Assessing the Benefits of a Connected System
A connected system delivers tangible benefits to both Acis Homes and their residents, enabling early identification of risks such as damp, mould and fire safety issues, while also supporting compliance, improving asset management and enhancing resident wellbeing.
John Traves, Asset Surveyor for Acis Homes, commented; “So far, the benefits of this technology have been significant. The insights provided by the different sensors have strengthened our diagnostic capabilities, giving us a far clearer picture of what is happening within a property and allowing us to work from a much stronger dataset. An unexpected but valuable benefit has been the temperature-loss feature, which enables us to accurately assess the effectiveness of a property’s insulation. Additionally, the ability for customers to engage with their home’s data through the app has contributed to improved conditions in some properties, including reduced humidity and CO₂ levels, ultimately resulting in more comfortable living environments.”
Futureproofing for Awaab’s Law
Awaab’s Law mandates landlords to act within strict timeframes when investigating and fixing damp and mould cases, making environmental monitoring systems integral for compliance. Delivering continuous, auditable data from the Gateway, it enables faster intervention, robust documentation and future-ready compliance in an evolving legislative landscape.
It gives residents in social housing peace of mind knowing their home is actively monitored for health and safety risks, building safer and more comfortable living environments. Landlords benefit from increased property value, cost savings, improved tenant satisfaction and proactive property management.
Health Benefits and Improved Living Conditions
The data that the Environmental Sensors collect allows for early detection and prevention of harmful issues like damp, mould and poor ventilation. These conditions can trigger respiratory problems, allergies, asthma attacks and other severe health risks, particularly for vulnerable residents such as children or the elderly. By preventing mould growth and reducing indoor air pollutants, residents experience better respiratory health, improved sleep quality and overall enhanced wellbeing. This proactive approach also contributes to preserving the structural integrity of the building, ensuring a longer-lasting, better quality living space.
Monitoring air quality also helps avoid high concentrations of carbon dioxide and other pollutants that may exacerbate depression, anxiety and cognitive decline.
Cost and Maintenance Improvements
By identifying problems before they escalate, Environmental Sensors reduce emergency repairs and associated costs, helping landlords maintain housing while reducing disruptions to residents. The energy monitoring feature also assists residents to budget their usage, and when shared with Acis Homes allow for an overview of total property performance.
The ability to monitor the conditions of the house remotely reduces the need for on-site inspections and unplanned interventions, directly lowering operational costs and the number of site visits required by Acis Homes, continuing to support effective property management.
Why Choose Aico?
Aico combines proven safety, smart connectivity, support, and regulatory compliance, making it a popular choice for landlords, social housing providers, and homeowners across the UK.
• Market Leader & Compliance: As the European Market Leader with over 35 years’ experience, all Aico alarms meet UK regulations and are individually tested, ensuring reliability and full legal compliance.
• SmartLINK Connectivity: The interconnection technology simplifies installation, improves reliability and allows for remote system monitoring and management.
• Comprehensive Solutions: Offering a wide range of sensor types, multisensor options, mains powered and battery powered options, Aico offer alarms that cover different property needs, ensuring full coverage and optimal safety.
• Proactive Support & Education: Aico provides extensive customer support through expert sales and technical teams, accredited training for installers, wholesalers and housing professionals. This ensures the correct selection, placement, and maintenance of alarms in line with the latest legislation.
John Traves commented: “The support provided by Aico throughout the implementation has been excellent. Guidance from our Relationship Manager, Gareth Iveson, alongside monthly meetings with the analytics team, has been instrumental in helping us navigate complex cases and deepen our understanding of the dashboard and its capabilities. Looking ahead, we aim to continue building our knowledge of the housing stock using this technology. It will support us in engaging with customers, proactively identifying potential issues, protecting tenant health, and reducing the organisation’s exposure to potential legal risks.”
Aico’s service doesn’t end at the sale. As an organisation, they are committed to assisting landlords, like Acis Homes, to get the best our of their systems and help to improve the quality of their housing portfolio. They carry out regular data reviews to look at the information gathered and help the landlord or the housing teams utilise the Dashboard to its full potential and maximise ROI.
www.aico.co.uk
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