Grand Designs project Holme House Farm utilises Aico’s HomeLINK Gateway

As a long standing fan of the TV show, ‘Grand Designs’, it was great to have the opportunity to visit a project which is currently under way. The project is located outside of Keighley in a little village called Holme House. Jonny of JS Electrical, Project Leader, is managing the build on behalf of his family; his wife Cara, and their two children.

This is an incredibly important project for the family. Due to a recent accident, Cara is now paralysed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. The new home will be tailored to prioritise her mobility and comfort, having her needs at the centre whilst providing a great space for their children.

The building is single storey, constructed out of structural insulated panels (SIP) and wrapped in aluminum, with an exception of a gable wall made out of stone which was the old farm outbuilding on the site. Throughout the build, Jonny has taken into consideration design principles typically seen within a Passive House, considering the air tightness and levels of insulation.

At my visit in August 2023, the building was water tight and the internal fit out had begun. As an electrician, Jonny is familiar with Aico and our products. We spent some time walking the site and ran through the specification which the Aico Technical Team had put together in association with BS5839:6-2019. With British Standards in mind, the system designed was a Grade D1/LD2, utilising Aico’s Ei3024 Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm. Due to the high ceilings and reduction in maintenance, Jonny decided to go for Aico’s 3000 Series (D1) instead of the D2 as stated in the standards for homeowner properties. This also allows him the option to include Aico’s Ei1000G Gateway. The Gateway will allow them to monitor and manage the smoke alarms within the property and set up notifications if an alarm was to lose power, be removed or activated.

Another benefit of deciding to install the Gateway is that it has given Holme House Farm the opportunity to implement Aico’s Ei1025 Environment Sensors into the system. The Ei1025 Environmental Sensor can be placed throughout the property to monitor temperature, humidity and Carbon Dioxide levels, providing actionable insights to enable the creation of a healthier, safer home. These sensors will be installed at various locations in the living space such as the kitchen, family bathroom, main bedroom and ensuite. This will give high coverage across the property, notifying Jonny if there are risks of poor indoor air quality or damp and mould via the online HomeLINK Portal and Resident App.

With the Resident App, those in the household will be able to see their current homes health and can be notified to test alarms, when alarms are activated or due to be replaced. The HomeLINK Portal gathers more in-depth information and analytics on the data gathered by the Gateway. Information available through the HomeLINK Portal and Resident App will allow the household to be proactive in maintaining their homes health.

There is still a lot of work to be done on site before the home is ready to be lived in, but Jonny has invited us back once the project is complete, to observe the installation of Aico devices.

Stayed tuned for Part 2!