Red Kite Community Housing in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, has specified Aico’s new 160e Series of mains powered smoke alarms for its entire housing stock of 6000 properties.
Aico’s new 160e Series alarms are being used for the Grade D, LD2 installations – in compliance with BS 5839-6:2013, the British Standard for domestic smoke alarm installation. The LD2 Category requires alarms in escape routes and high risk areas to occupants. The alarms will be installed during Red Kite’s ongoing programme of electrical testing, which initially covers voids and mutual exchanges, and during major works such as kitchen and bathroom refurbishments.
Heat alarms from the 160e Series alarms, Ei164e, are being fit into the kitchens and Optical alarms, Ei166e, are being fit in escape routes and high risk areas. The smoke and heat alarms are being interconnected within each property using Aico’s RadioLINK+ technology which removes the need to hard wire them together; instead the alarms are interconnected using Radio Frequency (RF) signals. This reduces disruption to properties, is quicker and more cost-effective to install and allows for greater system flexibility as alarms can be easily added or removed depending on different tenants’ needs.
The wireless interconnectivity was enabled in this 160e Series system by plugging in a RadioLINK+ module (Ei100MRF) directly into the alarm head of each alarm at installation before House Coding them together.
Red Kite Community Housing made the decision to install 160e Series alarms following the launch event held by Aico in 2015. Tom Roper, Assistant Compliance Manager for Red Kite, comments: “We always use Aico as they are the industry leader. In fact our contractors insist on it! They won’t use other manufacturers’ alarms as they don’t compare in quality, which for our customers is a priority.”
A wholly owned subsidiary of Ei Electronics, Aico is a market leader in residential fire and CO protection in the UK. All alarms are designed and built in Ireland specifically to meet the UK standards and regulations. With more mains powered domestic smoke alarms installed in the UK’s social housing than any other manufacturer, Aico is tried, tested and trusted.
