A Hampshire sheltered housing scheme is employing cutting edge Internet of Things (IoT) to improve safety.

Fernhill, near Eastleigh, run by Vivid, now has internet-enabled water sensors and safety lighting.

Eastleigh-based partner Barter For Things worked with Vivid on IoT remote monitoring of in-home water quality for Legionella without the need for manned testing.

In a UK housing sector first, these sensors will also provide a valuable “scald alert” service to give Vivid direct warning of boiler issues that means repairs teams can respond more quickly. Digital sensors attached to in-flow water pipes collect and send data via the internet for processing.

Artificial Intelligence systems then produce a daily water quality report. In a service innovation developed for Vivid, the same sensors send warnings of abnormal boiler water temperatures to allow proactive intervention from Vivid’s repairs team.

Residents at the 65-home development are also benefitting from IoT-enabled Safecility emergency lighting units that manage testing automatically and send reports remotely to a cloud-based compliance management platform.

The sensors automate a vital piece of fire safety testing and help to ensure the state of fire safety readiness required by law.

The IoT system eliminates the need for manned inspection and replaces paper test reports with digital records. Safecility’s management system alerts Vivid Homes to any failures or defects in real-time allowing them to send technicians to carry out repairs quickly. It also stores and monitors records for the entire stock, streamlining data management and reporting.

All three innovations are currently unique in the social housing sector and help Vivid provide faster response while reducing dependency on customers to report problems.

Barter For Things Chief Executive Alex Barter said: “As an Eastleigh-based business we’re delighted Hampshire-based Vivid has chosen to partner with us to create solutions that benefit the wellbeing of local residents. By working in partnership on these services Vivid is recognising the numerous ways public service organisations can benefit from IoT.”