English Heritage trials Aico’s HomeLINK for historic properties management

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites, from world-famous prehistoric locations through to medieval castles. Across these sites are thousands of buildings and spaces, all of which need to be protected by reliable fire and carbon monoxide detection systems. These systems must also be easy to manage in terms of repair and maintenance.

Pickering Castle resides in the market town of Pickering. The 13th Century structure contains a variety of buildings including a ticket office, chapel, classroom and toilet block.

The protection system installed provides fire detection in the various buildings connected to the Ei1000G gateway, which tracks when events are triggered within the alarm system. Device events are processed by the gateway as they occur and reported to the HomeLINK portal via its GSM connection.

Events such as fire alarms, button tests, mains absence, faults, removal of the alarm head and end of life are all reported to the HomeLINK portal. English Heritage can also set up notifications when events are triggered via e-mail or text messages. This information is valuable to those managing a dispersed estate as it ensures that operators are informed of any events in the system.

Asset management challenges

Dan Little, national sales manager at Aico, informed Fire Safety Matters: “English Heritage’s portfolio of properties is undoubtedly different to those we typically encounter. That said, the organisation still faces the same asset management challenges in terms of maintenance and compliance. Seeing the Aico technology deployed in heritage environments shows its versatility and ability to help solve unique problems.”

In addition to fire detection, English Heritage is exploring the use of Aico’s Ei1025 Environmental Sensors, which monitor temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels. Wirelessly connected to the Ei1000G gateway, these sensors are easy to install and are supplied with a ten-year lithium battery.

Monitoring environment conditions creates a better maintained, healthier and more energy efficient space where condensation, damp, mould and indoor air quality are being considered.

Ashley Hardy, estates manager (North) at English Heritage, commented: “The technological advancements in Aico’s Ei1000G gateway enable us to monitor vast and disperse sites in real-time. The technology provides us with the confidence and assurance that our sites are adequately protected. Should anything happen, the gateway responds immediately and notifies us of potentially hazardous scenarios such as if the detector has been removed or there’s a loss of power.”

Hardy continued: “In addition, we are able to remotely monitor our sensitive historic properties for environmental factors such as humidity, heat loss and air quality. Insights into potential trends in the use of the building are delivered, as well as accurate data that enables us to counteract potentially harmful or unfavourable conditions. Ultimately, the gateway assists the estates team to dynamically monitor our portfolio of significant historic properties, preventing harm and providing confidence in the infrastructure of the estate as a whole.”