Associate feature: Driving home life safety in Scotland

Aico are the UK market leader in domestic fire and carbon monoxide (CO) protection.

In 2020, we acquired HomeLINK, a leading internet of things (IoT) solutions provider, leveraging cutting-edge smart home integration and analytics technologies to provide a scalable and future-proofed solution towards improved housing stock, quality of life for residents and a reduced environmental impact.

Aico’s ethos of education, quality, service and innovation has provided the foundation for continued growth; and also, in evolving our services to deliver safer homes, in a turbulent and challenging environment.

One of our main objectives is to engage and empower the social housing sector, from employees to residents, to ensure everyone is safe within their homes.

We believe in developing and maintaining long term partnerships.

We have worked in partnership with the majority of UK social housing providers for most of the 30 years Aico have been in operation.

We strongly believe in working collaboratively with our social housing sector clients developing technical solutions and bringing innovative products to meet requirements.

Throughout our history, we have worked in partnership with local authorities and housing associations to gain comprehensive understanding and meet the needs and requirements of registered social landlords (RSLs) and their residents.

During this period, we have led the way in providing innovative solutions and achieved numerous industry firsts in fire and CO life safety products, and this same quality has been applied to the development of environmental sensors.

These sensors monitor indoor air quality (CO2), damp and mould, aligning to the goals and supporting the delivery of EESSH2.

Through our acquisition of HomeLINK and subsequent synergistic approach to the smart home and IoT, we are utilising data, insights and analytics to not only benefit RSLs but, importantly, to improve the health and wellbeing of residents.

An integral element to technology having a significant positive social and economic impact is the engagement and empowerment of residents.

Resident engagement is crucial to the delivery of EESSH2.

Through HomeLINK, we have developed a mobile resident app to provide residents with their own data, which has had overwhelmingly positive feedback and led to behaviour change in pilot studies.

This is monumental in the drive towards EESSH2 as in order to meet the outlined goals and requirements, there must be a culture shift – collaboration with RSLs and residents will instigate pronounced and sustained behaviour change.

Genuine resident engagement is crucial to the success of delivery of EESSH2 and the Tolerable Standard, ensuring that residents from all tenures are part of the journey and that engagement is at the heart of delivery.

In support of this, we want to give back to the social housing sector through a collaborative approach, by facilitating discussions, sharing best practice and engaging with communities to drive long-term improvement and ultimately create safer homes.

We will strive to continue to be the market leader in home life safety, pioneering new technologies to cater for advancements in the connected home, promote best practice and deliver safer communities.

Tina Mistry is the relationships manager at Aico.

@Aico_Limited

This feature was sponsored by Aico.