Pictured from Left to right:
Darren Fletcher (Eco Approach), Roy Aamstad (Fire service at Basildon), Isabel Robins (Eco Approach) Darren Pitcher (Morgan Sindall), Henry Jones (Switchee), Lisa Joyce (Resident involvement team at Basildon), Danny Collins (Community safety team at Basildon), Michael Poynton (Switchee)
5 November 2024. The installation of touch-screen Switchee technology is enabling residents to lower their heating bills while also helping landlords and Basildon Council to spot hazards such as damp and mould.
Basildon Council has installed 420 Switchee devices each month over the past year, meaning 85% of Basildon’s homes will be supported by the technology by 2025. This provides real-time intelligence to support the local authority to improve the quality of life for their residents.
Switchee started installing the devices in Basildon homes in 2018 as a pilot scheme to target damp and mould prevention. The feedback from the pilot led Basildon to commit to Switchee installation across their stock due to multiple proven benefits for residents, especially those who are digitally isolated. Significantly, a response rate of 86% within 24 hours reduced the turnaround for resident issues to be addressed by the council.
Tom Robins, CEO of Switchee, says: “Our long standing partnership with Basildon is a shining example of two organisations fostering collaboration to achieve joint missions - to improve people’s homes and lives. By adopting a data-led approach, Basildon, together with the Switchee Customer Success teams, have identified cases of damp and mould, and taken proactive steps to improve housing stock conditions and resident satisfaction.
“With more pressure on social landlords to understand their property portfolio, and ensure tenant wellbeing, this partnership should be seen by the sector as a blueprint for best practice. I look forward to visiting many of the 8,000 homes that will benefit from a Switchee installation within the next 12 months.”
Switchee and Basildon Council have been in partnership for six years, supported by Morgan Sindall, who delivered on the installation of the devices in residents’ homes.
Cllr Gavin Callaghan, Leader of Basildon Council says: “Damp and mould have been a particular focus for us to proactively combat. We are aiming to reduce the number of repeat damp and mould properties within our housing stock. We are right on track with installations and will reach our 8,000 target of Switchees in residents’ homes in about 8 months.
“With the Switchee device installed in homes we have been able to identify damp and mould cases before they escalate to a complaint, ensuring a reduction in reports. This is great news for our residents to ensure they’re living safely in damp and mould free homes.”
In addition to damp and mould triaging, data gleaned from Switchee during a boiler testing campaign to residents identified over 2,500 homes where residents’ heating systems were performing inefficiently. Basildon Council was able to liaise with residents to identify issues and flag boiler fault codes before engineers attend, reducing the time it takes to achieve a resolution for the resident, and reducing emergency call outs.
Andy Harris, Regional Director, Morgan Sindall Property Services, said: “We are delighted to be part of this collaboration with Basildon Borough Council and Switchee. This proactive and preventative approach to damp and mould will help keep residents in a warm, safe and decent home. By embracing this technology, we can unlock more insight around damp and mould and the root causes behind it, helping to keep our residents safe.”
To ensure Basildon residents are kept informed about temperature settings in the colder months to help keep mould and damp at bay the Switchee team hosted a resident engagement day on Wednesday 30 October. Eco Approach, Morgan Sindall and members of the Basildon Borough Council's resident engagement and community safety teams were also onsite sharing their knowledge and advice.
To learn more about how Switchee is helping housing associations and local authorities to support their residents and remotely protect their assets, contact [email protected].
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