West Dunbartonshire Council has recently reviewed its approach to damp and mould complaints in its homes.
We want to become more proactive in managing our homes to protect them against damp and mould occurring and environmental sensors can help us do that.
The sensors are connected to a dashboard and an AI trained algorithm which will highlight properties with high damp and mould risk which need investigation.
This investigation might involve a visit from a building services officer to rule out anything structural and check your home has sufficient ventilation.
Yes, we intend to connect most home’s fire alarms to the gateways which will allow us to track the battery status remotely, further enhancing our health and safety compliance.
The sensors will also form an integral part of our energy efficiency programme by monitoring and validating the impact of the interventions such as external wall insulation.
The sensors can highlight poor air quality in a home (high levels of carbon dioxide) and prompt opening of windows which can improve health and wellbeing of those who live there.
The sensors will track three things: temperature, humidity and, in some rooms, carbon dioxide. These are each important for damp and mould but also resident health and wellbeing.
Temperature is important because it can be an indicator for mould risk, particularly when combined with high humidity. For example, homes which have high humidity will be harder to heat but are also more likely to see mould growth.
Carbon dioxide is produced when humans and animals breathe and if rooms are not ventilated enough this can lead to poor air quality which can lead to headaches, restlessness and aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma. By tracking this in living and bedrooms we can help tenants improve their air quality and in turn their overall health.
The environmental sensors we are installing are simple devices. Once set up, they collect sensor readings and send them to the gateway every 15 minutes. They only gather temperature, humidity and for some rooms, carbon dioxide. The Gateway acts simply as the "middleman", collecting the readings from the sensors and sending them over to HomeLINK to process.
Carbon dioxide is produced when humans and animals breathe and if rooms are not ventilated enough this can lead to poor air quality which can lead to headaches, restlessness and aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma. By tracking this in living and bedrooms we can help tenants improve their air quality and in turn their overall health.
Carbon monoxide is a colourless gas and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. If you have a gas boiler and you smell gas please follow the policy on this page: Gas Safety | West Dunbartonshire Council (west-dunbarton.gov.uk)
The data on your home will be shared with WDC using a dashboard. The dashboard will only be accessible to select officers who will only get notifications if something is wrong or concerning which will prompt us to investigate for example high levels of humidity which do not reduce as expected may suggest ventilation is broken or if a property becomes very cold this might mean that the heating is broken.
Yes, the gateways and sensors have a tenant app which allows you to receive real time information about the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide in your home.
The app is a vital tool for tenants to track their home and take action to improve their environment e.g., using fans after showering to reduce humidity.
We would recommend that you download the app and follow the instructions provided at time of installation. If you have any queries or require this information in a different format or language, please contact us.
Please watch the video about downloading and using the app:
As per the steps in the leaflet supplied at time of install, please contact enviro-sensors@west-dunbarton.gov.uk and we can arrange for you to be set up with an account.
Each property will be registered on the system using a unique property identifier code rather than a property address or tenant name for GDPR purposes.
Each gateway has its own sim-card which connects it to the cloud. This keeps data transfer secure and not linked to a WIFI provider or similar.
We are purchasing licenses with the manufacturer and dashboard developer, AICO, who ensure that all data is held securely within a UK based digital cloud which has the highest security attached.
Yes, once you are set up on the app you can then add a trusted viewer, such as a carer or family member. This means you have control over who else can see the data from your home. Any questions on setting this up, please get in touch at enviro-sensors@west-dunbarton.gov.uk and we can help you navigate the process.