As the demand rises for more affordable government funded facilities (operated by government bodies or non-for-profit housing associations) the pressure is on for these organizations to adapt to a more dynamic landscape. Housing Associations are faced with many day-to-day operational challenges which include rising maintenance costs, ensuring tenant safety, and attaining health and safety compliance, yet all of these need to be addressed in-spite of ever decreasing financial budgets. However, the role of IoT technology in facilities management can be transformative with the potential to make dwellings safer, more energy-efficient, and ultimately lower cost to run.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is quickly becoming part of the fabric of everyday life and this technology adoption is driven by both consumers and businesses, with almost every industry being changed in some way by the technology. The Facilities Management sector is no exception with IoT creating dozens of opportunities to make residential buildings safer and more comfortable in order to improve the quality of life for some of the most vulnerable members of society. By improving the living conditions for their tenants, housing associations have the power to improve their own efficiencies by enabling them to predict repairs before they are needed, for example, reducing the need for emergency call outs. Facilities providers also spend vast amounts of money on safety inspections and different types of repairs, but IoT has the potential to make this whole process more efficient and more convenient for residents via predictive maintenance.
Managing a large portfolio of properties is no simple task for any housing provider, and this will become more difficult as cost pressures increase and the wants and needs of tenants change. IoT holds many of the answers to keeping up with these increased pressures, and Canopy Tools Group are in the ideal position to help these forward-thinking facilities providers make the vision of smart homes a reality. Our flagship solution – Canopy Manage is a dynamic cloud-based IoT software solution which is offered as an end-to-end Managed Service to housing providers. Working alongside our eco-system of complimentary software and sensor providers, Canopy Manage provides a Predictive Maintenance Solution connected to a range of Smart Sensors that can be used to measure and gather data from numerous property management parameters including temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, noise and movement. This valuable data is automatically stored in real-time and then by using machine learning and custom actions triggers a series of automated alerts to inform housing providers of actionable insights and advanced warning of risks and repair requirements, allowing more efficient resource allocation. For example, sensors can identify whether humidity levels are creating an environment for damp and mould, which if left, would incur repair costs and potentially cause health issues, leading to more expenses over time, including insurance claims.
