Knightstone Housing Group, a leading housing provider in the South West, has announced a major two year programme to install the latest Aico mains powered smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms throughout its 11,000 homes across Somerset and the West of England.
The installation work will be carried out by Emmdee Electrical Services.
Knightstone’s properties have a range of alarm types installed, but in order to meet the requirements of BS5839 Part 6 – the standard for domestic smoke alarm installation – the decision was made to standardise on mains powered smoke alarms with Lithium battery back-up, using Aico’s new Ei160e Series. In addition, Aico Ei262 mains powered CO alarms will be installed to meet the housing association’s duty of care to its tenants.
Knightstone Housing will be working to an LD2 specification for the smoke alarms, which in most cases equates to three 160e smoke alarms and one heat alarm per property. Up to three Aico Ei262 CO alarms will be fitted in each property, in the rooms where cookers, boilers and fires are fitted, following an individual risk assessment. Ei450 wall mounted Alarm Controllers are also being installed for elderly tenants who might otherwise have difficulty testing the alarms. This will enable them not only to test all alarms on the system, but also silence them and locate the source of the alarm from a safe, accessible location.
The alarms are being interconnected using Aico’s RadioLINK+ wireless alarm interconnection technology. The housing association specified RadioLINK+ because it reduces disruption to properties, is quicker and more cost-effective to install and prevents tenants from potentially damaging wiring (as there is none between alarms!). Furthermore, it provides them with a future proof system as alarms can be easily added or removed depending on tenants’ needs and the system also allows data extraction.
Using Aico’s latest alarm ranges with data extraction technology has proven key to Knightstone, as Eddie Lowkis, Property Compliance Manager, explains: “with the introduction of this new technology we can begin to extract real time data and convert this into an alarm system report. We can also use the option of checking alarms remotely from the property should we experience consistent access issues.”
This is achieved through the use of RadioLINK+ technology which enables whole system information to be extracted. Data such as the number and location of alarms, number of tests carried out, RF signal strength between alarms can all be accessed securely from within or even outside a property.
RadioLINK+ comes as a plug in module on the 160e Series of alarms, which has the added benefit of negating the need for a separate RadioLINK base, as was previously the case. It is automatically activated ready to be House Coded in with the rest of the system.
Knightstone Housing has already made considerable headway with the alarm installation programme concentrating on those properties with no alarms or battery only powered alarms initially, before focussing on replacing mains powered alarms that are reaching their natural end of life.
Knightstone Housing has been impressed with both the products and service they have received from Aico, as Eddie Lowkis states: “I have great faith in Aico products having used them for many years prior to joining Knightstone. Aico staff are always willing to help and discuss any issues/concerns and to answer any technical queries.” Emmdee Electrical Services, which worked with Knightstone to specify the alarm system and are now installing the alarms, express similar sentiments: “We have worked with Aico for over five years for the simple reason that they are the market leader in design and technology, leading the way.”
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.
