Platform Housing Group (PHG) has partnered with social housing data and insights company Switchee to rollout Switchee devices in their residents’ homes. Implementation of IoT (internet of things) technology is part of the group’s digital transformation programme to help improve its offer and service to residents.
Specifically, Platform Housing Group is looking to use Switchee smart thermostat devices to provide real-time data and analytics about the performance of its housing stock. The use of Switchee data and its use in PHG systems (via API) will help to inform decision making and resource deployment around maintenance and flag issues such as condensation, damp and mould. It will also identify where residents may need support. The project forms part of the group’s programme to achieve a minimum EPC C rating (Energy Performance Certificate) in targeted properties by 2028. Installations are being carried out through Switchee’s Trusted Installer Network, which supports Switchee’s housing partners with swift and efficient device rollouts.
The devices will be installed across different types of properties; supported accommodation, properties at risk of condensation, damp and mould and into properties as part of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. All Switchee smart thermostats will be fitted by the end of March, with Platform Housing Group and Switchee providing full data analysis on an ongoing basis throughout the project and beyond the initial term.
Jonathan Cocker, Chief Information Officer for Platform Housing Group said: “We’re delighted to be working with Switchee to improve the way we help customers in their homes. These devices are just one of the ways we’re investing in technology to achieve energy efficiency in all that we do and benefit the wider UK housing sector.”
Tom Robins, Switchee CEO added: “Utilising technology like Switchee is a game changing for landlords. By enabling them to understand what’s going on in their properties, they can change their operations from reactive to proactive. They can see where their biggest issues are and can deploy resources more efficiently and lower their operating costs.”
About Platform Housing Group
Platform Housing Group owns and manages 46,000 homes across the Midlands, with a portfolio that includes social and affordable rent and shared ownership houses. Their stock reaches from Herefordshire to Lincolnshire and the Cotswolds to the Derbyshire Dales.
They recently achieved ISO 27001 status plus The group has G1 governance and V1 financial viability ratings from the Regulator of Social Housing and a Standard and Poor’s A+ rating.
