Smart Monitoring & Software Feature
Smart Monitoring & Software
The fight to tackling fuel poverty
Dane Ralston from iOpt Ltd looks at how the internet of things (IoT) can potentially help with fuel poverty and tenant well-being
M
ost people know the definition of fuel poverty. It’s been an issue since the 1970s and has taken centre stage in the last 12 to 18 months with the massive increase in fuel costs.
What a lot of people don’t know is just how big the impact fuel poverty has on
millions of people across the UK – it can have a huge effect physically, mentally and socially. Many lives get completely ruined along with homes and personal items damaged by the knock-on effects such as mould.
FUEL POVERTY VS GENERAL POVERTY Some people argue that fuel poverty is also general poverty, which to a certain extent is true. However, fuel poverty can also have a disproportionate effect on those worse off, especially in poorly insulated homes where tenants can have no impact on a property’s energy efficiency. Oſten we come across people in social
homes paying significantly more than others in bigger private homes. Te fact that prepayment metre users get charged more is just a further kick in the teeth. Energy prices have increased five times over in the last five years, which nobody could have predicted.
HOW CAN WE TACKLE THIS SITUATION? Clearly we do not have all the answers but the use of sensors and the internet of things (IoT) can help in significant ways. Te idea of using IoT networks to help manage and maintain assets has been
around for decades – and in a variety of sectors from ATM machines through to aircraſt engines and electricity networks. Housing is on the catch up and as a sector, housing probably has the potential to benefit the most from IoT. Key to understanding the range of benefits from IoT systems is that value can
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMMJune/July 2023 | 33
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