Solarized

If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @HousingITguy
or LinkedIn here https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy



After the glorious extended dry summer we have encountered and mini-drought this year, I suppose it was inevitable that concerns about climate change would not be so far behind. I do believe the majority of scientists and a big fan of microgeneration technologies, utilising wind & solar, instead of usual carbon based sources.

On a recent trip to Scotland, South of Edinburgh, someone has already calculated that an average of just about 3.5+ hours of sunshine a day, might be sufficient to invest in.

Its not surprising that homeowners and Socialhousing landlords, including Torus & GGHT in my own locality, are investing in solar panels, to offset resident energy costs. These also make a significant contribution, particularly during the summer, to the national grid. Earlier in 2017, it was stated that in a particular June week, renewables provided over half of the UK electricity supply. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40198567

EPC’s (Energy Performance Certificates) have been an EU requirement for summarising the energy efficiency of buildings, since 2007, initially as part of HIPS. I have often worked with and introduced asset management solutions that enable the rdSAP figure to be recorded and monitored over time.

Typically, improvements in more efficient heating and insulation will increase a rdSAP rating from the mid 60’s towards and ideal of 100.

Interestingly enough, addition of microgeneration, such as wind turbine or solar PV on the roof could potentially increase the SAP rating above 100. IE a property could become a new generator of energy. I discovered this recently working with a local RSL, when an EPC could not be recorded within an asset management module, as an upper limit of 100 was being imposed by the software. While a helpdesk call was already logged, it was only progressed when the use of solar PV was shown.

I so enjoy working with innovative landlords. We need much more thinking out of the box to safeguard our planet and reduce resident fuel costs. 


Related Post: This is not the time to be giving up on the fight for affordable housing 

Catch the blog monthly archive at https://soundcloud.com/housingitguy/

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I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.

Ian Brown – Solarized.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here

Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.
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All Sparks

If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @hotpixUK
or LinkedIn here http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy

Anyone out there implemented any mobile working? I certainly have and it never amazes me how much a bit of a spotlight, mobile working throws on the wider processes.

Areas that always make me smile are those when plumbers and electricians point out that the new mobile system does not fit their needs. The stock question of course is "why is that, can you tell me?"

In real-life we do lots of things to enforce consistency or make life easy for ourselves and work is no different. I have come across trades people who hold completed job tickets back, to maintain an average of £650 in earnings each month and also others who start certificates on paper and plug them into the iPad, a week or two later when chased by the assets team.

What's to be done in these situations?

The accommodating IT thing to do is to have your mobile system changed, (at great expense), although quite obviously, this is not an IT problem. Our organisation would like each job to be completed sequentially, rather than customer services not knowing until next week. also, I guess the asset team would like up to date gas, EPC and electrical certificates as soon as practical.

Notwithstanding the chance of losing notes in your van, quite clearly, admittedly simplistic mobile, can help actually tighten up our processes, bringing discipline to a currently poorly managed process.  This needs some careful treatment, maybe enhanced training or a person-2-person chat. Here is again, a situation where IT is not the solution, it's a very human management one.    

The only good thing is that the excuse for management is that, "we are introducing a new mobile system and we need you to do the admin associated with your job properly". Well worth implementing mobile working then!     


If I can help anyone moving, moved or struggling with mobile, please be in touch!

Related Post: DLOs are they coming back for #UKHousing ?

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I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.


Editors - All Sparks.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here
Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.
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Jack In The Green

If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @hotpixUK
or LinkedIn here uk.linkedin.com/pub/tony-smith-bsc-hons-acih/a/979/351/

 
The cost of heating our homes and the phrase 'Fuel Poverty' has gone mainstream lately, has it not?

I remember Ed Milibean being derided as a communist, at the labour conference, when he suggested freezing energy bills. Just 9 weeks later, our coalition government, always keen to encourage the free market, are quietly asking energy companies for restraint and considering shifting green taxes away from our bills. A saving of a whole £50 (barely 4% of the average bill). Not surprising most people are angry, not grateful.


Nobody I notice has been trampled in the rush to sign up to the 'Green Deal' either. An expensive scheme that barely 594 people in the UK had indicated interest and only '360 wished to proceed'. Window dressing at best, more than likely it costs more to administer than actual benefits achieved. It certainly was not the same as the solar PV gold-rush back in 2011. We narrowly missed leading a whole new innovative history there. Grab the Allen key people, hopefully we can rely on our favourite flat pack furniture shop to make PV sexy again - http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/about_ikea/newsitem/ikea_hanergy_solar_panels

Well what of our residents on the breadline? The ones spending far more than 10% on fuel and day to day deciding if to eat or to feed their expensive prepay meters? How should landlords tackle it? What can we all do to help? How can IT and systems help?

At first glance, there's plenty of silver bullets out there for sale. If you have deep pockets and not that bothered about integration that is. Even some 'energy' modules for better known third party asset applications, don't integrate too well together with their core applications. I won't embarrass anyone by naming them, but if you have purchased them, you have surely rumbled it by now. Even if you get that bit right, the elephant in the room is being able to mash up data with your housing management system, to obtain some decisive insights.

Last Friday I had a really productive day with some asset managers wrestling with energy efficiency in a rural setting. No surprise that residents cite high cost of heating their properties, as their number one concern. Not everyone is on mains gas and not everyone can have insulation due to asset archetypes and build standards. Oh, and budgets getting tighter, the board want more done with less. Have you got one like that? (Thought so).

Like in most asset teams these days, the EPC collection is building up. How can IT assist to support the asset team to reach their goals and pull the maximum residents out of fuel poverty?

Many RSLs I come across record a PDF of the EPC, the RDSAP rating (e.g. 49, band E) and date issued. Limiting details recorded to this, does however miss a trick. The EPC is a rich source of data to model. Capture a bit more of that data and we can turn that into some really useful insights. For example, the potential energy efficiency rating, standard recommended measures/indicative costs, typical energy bill savings etc. 

Recording against each EPC of these potential improvements can easily form the basis of our asset energy modelling. Most of the common integrated HMS systems out there (OpenHousing, Orchard, QLX, iWorld, UH etc) can be configured to record these against asset components and attributes. The extra admin of manual entry or the provision of a regular import (where your EPC supplier can provide it) of these fields, makes the job somewhat easier.

Once it's in your database, it's a relatively swift task to combine all related details in a database view to provide a helicopters eye view of your stock. By related details I mean HB status (full/partial/none), primary method of payment (Allpay, Direct Debit, Cash etc), recorded economic status (Inactive, retired, working full/part time etc), area, HO patch, asset archetype etc.

A bit of added work if you are lucky enough to have a GIS system or can find time on Google maps satellite view, can identify any of your south facing roofs, suitable for solar PV. While not the cash-cow it was, it's still an option to offset your residents fuel bills.

On sign up, you may well be helping your residents to account for their new tenancy/shared owner property, pointing them to the local credit union or other places. Data collected during this process could also assist in identifying need. Also the resident age range and type of household, most likely held within your contact details. IE young families, single disabled elderly etc.

In the future, energy companies may well also provide anonymised energy expenditure data to you about your residents. Coming soon the 'internet of things' (due before the 'Jetpacks' they promised hopefully), might allow us to also monitor usage by boiler, live room temperatures etc.  

As you probably realise, this creates access to a pretty comprehensive picture. So should we aim to do with your 'mash-up' view? Well, we can determine where the best result can be achieved for minimum outlay, for the most deserving residents. It creates a concrete case for expenditure for your board and the improvements that can be expected.

Each organisation will be different, but this joined up approach allows facts to drive the improvement process. Another way that housing IT can help make a difference to your residents lives

Read on to: Asking those questions - collecting satisfaction better

You can link with me on LinkedIn here - uk.linkedin.com/pub/tony-smith-bsc-hons-acih/a/979/351/ It would be great to connect !

Jethro Tull - Jack In The Green .


(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009

PS As usual, if there are subjects you might like me to tackle on this blog, please get in touch and let me know!

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Bricks and morter

If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @hotpixUK
or LinkedIn here uk.linkedin.com/pub/tony-smith-bsc-hons-acih/a/979/351/
 
Over the years I have worked with many asset managers, good and less so, in the provision of planned maintenance and responsive repair services. My experience many years ago with tank container maintenance made me the perfect choice at a software house for ‘working with planned maintenance types’. Or so my manager convinced me at the time. It did lead to many interesting years, working with some fascinating people. (Arent everyone in housing??)

I have read over the years, many articles and opinions about whether housing IT systems are unnecessarily property orientated and if they should alternatively be centred around customers and residents. Recently, even if the traditional housing HMS package can be replaced with a CRM solution has been discussed on forums. CRM stressing the ‘Customer’ and a few of the wrap around ‘Contact Managers’ from some suppliers obviously fitting this view.

I suspect that the death of the HMS is being over-egged, but in my opinion property and residents (or more accurately assets and customers) are two sides of the housing coin. Both need to work in harmony and if an asset management function is working well, it needs to service both of those, by sharing appropriate information. Key areas include sharing of servicing information (when chasing an arrear it might be appropriate to also chase the outstanding gas service) and information on void and letting (for example adaption levels and likelihood of PM works, like kitchen and bathroom refits being required).

Many options are available. The main HMS might contain integrated modules to record asset and attribute information. External third party solutions can be bolted on to the main HMS, such as Keystone, Promaster or Codeman. The success in ‘bolting on’ (or integrating which is the more proper term), generally determines the usefulness of these solutions to the wider housing organisation. In many cases the former solution can provide better integration yet lighter functionality. The last approach is homegrown spreadsheets or an Access database. These can be adapted to local needs, but may be problematical to share or control among other teams in the organisation.

One mistake often made is over complication of what to record, regarding asset or asset attribute information. By the latter I mean component and other information; Kitchens, Bathrooms, Regular Redecs, Gas or Oil Servicing, EPC status etc. It is important to drive the structure of what is stored to cover the minimum needed and no more. Each piece of data must earn its keep as it carries an inherent cost to store and maintain.  Draw up a list of what essential return or purpose the information is needed. For example, Key and Non-Key attribute data including condition (poor or otherwise), may be needed for decent homes (or SHQS Scottish Housing Quality Standard).

I have met asset managers & surveyors who have come up through an academic route and can define reams of options for everything, rather than relate it strictly to the stock they manage. IE its unlikely to encounter many thatched roofs in social housing, in city centres. I am also keen on the term asset, not property, as repairs should be able to be attributed to blocks, schemes etc as well as individual dwellings. The practice of logging roof repairs on flat one of a block is not a clever one. Having block, scheme or even bin store asset types available makes this a lot easier.  Each need a unique number. Ideally a sequential one, not one composed of segments or additional coding, such as an owning body, area, street, walking order etc. These are all reporting requirements that can change. These are better coded against the asset instead.

Initial asset data can be created from local knowledge, a stock condition survey or from updates from the maintenance programme. It needs to be a living system kept up to date. Where data is stored and not current, staff will lose faith in it very quickly. Housing officers know that uPVC windows are in a certain scheme as they visit it each week, if the repository for asset data reports it as softwood, what else can they not believe?

When other housing staff see inaccuracies, they must have a means to notify the asset manager or asset team to have these issues rectified. Responsible ownership of the data always will benefit the whole organisation.

A last thought to leave you with. It was said to be me once that the good test of your asset system was how long it takes to generate a list in answer to the following question from a resident or applicant: “How many three bed bungalows do you have in the town of X”? Test your asset team and take the stopwatch!

Read On, Who owns Keystone now?

http://tonysmiththathousingitguy.blogspot.com/2014/05/turn-to-keystone.html

I hope this track helps you focus on your assets: Brick House.

(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854655009

PS As usual, if there are subjects you might like me to tackle on this blog, please get in touch and let me know!

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