Award Winning Northern Ireland Social Housing Development Installs Aico Alarms

Aico Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms have been installed in to Newington Housing Association’s triple award winning housing development in North Belfast.

The Parkside Phase of the Limestone Road regeneration project – a scheme to transform an historically volatile interface area of North Belfast – features 36 new-build and re-habilitated houses.  This innovative social housing project has been built to very high standards and to provide homes with flexible design that can adapt to changing needs of the occupants.  It has scooped three prestigious RICS 2015 Northern Ireland Awards, including Best Northern Ireland Overall Project 2015.

Smoke and heat alarms from Aico’s Ei160e Series and the mains powered, with rechargeable battery back-up, Ei261ENRC CO alarms were selected by the consultant and contractor for this phase of the development as they met the stringent standards and requirements set out by Newington Housing Association.

Each property has been fitted with five Aico alarms, hard wired together for maximum tenant protection and controlled through the use of a single wall mounted switch.  Three optical smoke alarms are located in the main habitable areas and escape routes and one heat alarm in the kitchen.  The CO alarm is located adjacent to the boiler in each house.

For Newington Housing Association’s Operation Manager, Anthony Kerr, the Ei1529RC control switch has provided real added benefit: “The control switch was a key benefit as residents can test all the alarms safely from one point; it’s a truly user friendly device.”  With all the alarms hard wired together, if one alarm on the system is triggered, all other alarms in the same property sound.  This ensures the alarm is heard throughout the property, providing the earliest warning.  The Ei1529RC enables residents to quickly identify and locate the exact unit which has gone into alarm, and simply test and silence all the alarms on the system from one safe, convenient location.

Interconnecting the alarms in this manner is not only best practise but has actually provided Newington Housing Association with cost savings as less alarms are required per property.

Anthony is extremely pleased not just with the alarms and control switch, which he says makes for a “great system”, but also with Aico itself: “the service from Aico has been fantastic”.

Aico’s Ei160RC Series of mains-powered smoke and heat alarms have been designed to offer social housing providers the highest quality protection for BS 5839-6 Grade D applications.  The alarms incorporate high performance 10 year + rechargeable Lithium cells to provide over six month’s back-up in the event of a mains failure.

The Ei261ENRC mains-powered CO alarms also come with 10 year + rechargeable Lithium cells and feature the latest generation electrochemical type CO sensor which is pre-calibrated and tested in CO gas to ensure accuracy.  The alarms come with both high and low level LED indicators, with a pre-alarm LED indication for early detection of CO.  Other features of note include a Test/Silence button, Easi-fit design for quick and simple installation, Test facility and a Memory Feature which enables the user to tell if CO has been detected during a period of absence.

Did you know there have been recent changes to the Private Tenancies Regulation in Northern Ireland? Stay up to date to ensure consistency and best practices for tenant protection.