After spotting a chilling sensor reading in a customer’s home, our Smartline team at Coastline Housing managed to contact the resident who had turned off her heating in the days leading up to the discovery.  

What are smart radon sensors?

Smart radon sensors are placed in people’s homes to provide live readings of their living environment, for example air temperature and humidity, and to spot any abnormal radon levels which can be dangerous.

Lack of heating could have caused health risks

Phil and Adrian from Coastline Housing spotted that a resident’s sensor readings showed that the temperature in their home was only 10 degrees - although the property had previously been well heated. This alarmed the team because the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend that UK households should have a room temperature in winter of around 18°C. This is to avoid health risks like increases in blood pressure, and the risk of blood clots which can lead to strokes and heart attacks.

The sensor readings below show that the customer’s home was averaging around 13 degrees. The data also shows that the humidity in the property was starting to rise, which will cause other problems such as condensation and mould.

Responding to abnormal sensor readings

The team contacted the tenant who explained they had had a very recent change in family circumstances and, as a result, had lost income to pay for their heating.

By visiting the customer at home (standing outside due to social distancing), the team were able to discuss funding opportunities to help them manage their energy bills. Working together the team helped the customer complete a funding application, while organising a hardship payment to help in the meantime.

This is a great example of how technology helped the Coastline team to reduce a customer’s health risks at home, and create a network of support to avoid further social isolation. We hope this will really change the customer's life and make her much more comfortable.

Why is Smartline using smart radon sensors?

We have been using sensors to gather data from around 300 of Coastline's residents living in Camborne, Pool, Illogan and Redruth. Our participants who have sensors placed in their home are taking part in surveys to help us understand their health and wellbeing, while the sensors collect information about their home environment including air quality, humidity, temperature, water usage and energy consumption.

Coastline Housing is working with The University of Exeter and other Smartline project partners to use technology which can help identify customers that may have financial issues due to changes in circumstances. Find out more here.