Published 18 October 2024
By Bill Heaney
For a failing council, West Dunbartonshire has surprisingly been picking up one local government award after another.
From a project which which they have been recognised for sorting out the much maligned [by the public] brown bin project – they haven’t, of course – to what today they are describing “a project to proactively tackle damp and mould in Council properties” they have been shortlisted for yet another “prestigious” award.
The nomination in the excellence in health and wellbeing category at the Chartered Institute of Housing (Scotland) Scottish Housing Awards comes as West Dunbartonshire Council marks the 1000th install of environmental sensors in its properties.
The Labour councillors in charge of housing – they resigned from the administration recently – Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, convener, and Hazel Sorrell, left with Housing Director Peter Barry (centre).
The roll-out began at the start of the year with West Dunbartonshire Council’s Housing service recently meeting the milestone figure.
The only problem is that these sensors can detect damp, but they can’t cure it.
The technology on the sensors works by tracking data on air quality, humidity and other environmental factors, with the Council able to use the insight to plan any required works.
It is claimed they identify problems with condensation, allowing the Council to advise tenants at an early stage on how to manage this and avoid the potential for mould to develop.
It means work can be undertaken at the earliest possible stage, and allows the Council to proactively plan for energy efficiency improvements while tackling issues including damp, mould and fuel poverty across the area.
It makes you wonder who makes this stuff up, does it not?
Sensors, the council press release informs us, can be retro-fitted to homes with minimal disruption to tenants, and operate from a sim card so do not rely upon tenants’ internet connection.
And the sensors allow tenants to track the data about their own home through an app, with additional support and guidance from the Council.
This must be of huge assistance, not, to tenants, a large majority of them elderly and IT illiterate and who will be living colder homes this winter after having their heating allowance withdrawn by the recently elected Labour government. The Scottish SNP Government have said they intend to do nothing to help these vulnerable old folk out.
Out of the 1,000 tenants who have had these sensors installed in their homes, the council have found one tenant prepared to speak up for them.
“The devices have already been showing their value as, due to the information provided from one tenant’s environmental sensor, a costly repair was avoided,” says the press release.
It adds: “The property was flagged to the Council because the environmental sensor was continually recording a high level of humidity but, besides a little condensation on windows, the tenant had nothing to report. There was no sign of mould or damp inside the home.
“The building services officer was asked to attend and identified a broken down-pipe which meant an external wall was wet. This was driving up the humidity in the home and would have eventually presented as damp and mould.
“Due to the early intervention, it was caught before there was any major and expensive damage to the property and the air quality improved for the tenant.”
Convener of Housing and Communities, Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, said: “This is a landmark moment for the Council. Having fitted 1000 environmental sensors within our homes and to be nominated for a Scottish Housing Award at the same time for this innovative project is fantastic news.
“These devices are a vital part of ensuring our housing stock remains at a high standard for tenants and avoids costly repairs further down the line.
“It also empowers tenants to take responsibility for air quality in their homes, giving them real-time information to act upon and we are reinforcing this messaging through regular correspondence with our tenants, stressing the difference the likes of opening windows can make to the air quality in homes.”
Council housing departments have, for the past 50 years or more, been advising tenants with damp in their homes that the cause of this is condensation and that they should make sure they keep their windows open.
The downside of that, of course, is that houses with the windows open are nearly always colder and that tenants are plagued with draughts.
Vice Convener of Housing and Communities, Councillor Hazel Sorrell, said: “I am delighted that this important project has been recognised with a nomination at the Scottish Housing Awards. Congratulations to the team who have worked so hard on this for the benefit of our tenants and the Council as landlord.”
Just think of the blood, sweat and tears involved in coming up with this brilliant idea.
Anyway, anyone who has a sensor fitted and wants to find out more about the information gathered, including being signed up to the app so they can access the data connected to their own home, can contact the council team on enviro-sensors@west-dunbarton.gov.uk or speak to their Housing Officer.
The Scottish Housing Awards takes place in November with the Council also nominated in the partnership working category for it’s Connected Response Heat Sage smart heating controls for storage heating.