‘Good air quality’ is NOT just a phrase at More Housing, it’s an absolute necessity for our future occupants.
The state of air quality and air flow has been widely reported on as unsafe and inadequate within social housing listed homes.
This issue has been scaled up even further in the press after the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, eight days after his second birthday, described as an engaging, lively, endearing two-year-old, from prolonged exposure to black mould in his family’s flat. The coroner present stated that this should be a “defining moment” for the UK’s housing sector.
About 450,000 homes in England have problems with condensation and mould and the verdict triggered calls from paediatric doctors for better reporting of air quality problems in homes.
To be able to control the air flow and ensure it’s at safe levels Housing associations and social housing providers need to manage their portfolios of housing stock properly to be able to fully understand the energy efficiency and thermal performance of the houses they are providing. This means a massive upgrade of tech is needed to bring homes up to the current standards and levels that this can be possible to do.
Another aspect of poorly insulated homes, low-performance windows & doors, inefficient or outdated boilers and low levels of airtightness will inevitably lead to high energy costs for the tenant, poor indoor air quality, the potential for mould growth and a generally low standard of living.
More often than not, social housing tenants are on pre-payment meters that typically have higher per unit energy costs than other tariffs. Ensuring efficient thermal performance is one of the highest factors in helping to alleviate fuel poverty.
The impact of poor air quality also plays a factor in a tenant’s mental health. We all feel low when we’re ill and struggling to breathe and being sick due to air quality can lead to depression within people who have already experienced multiple setbacks and need encouragement within their surroundings instead of more issues.
A clean air future exists
In conducting the research needed when designing our homes at More Housing, air quality came under each of our values of mental health inspired and planet friendly. We’ve embedded our eco-innovative design into solving this issue to the point where our team has incorporated advanced mechanical ventilation with smart heat recovery systems, which ensures greater energy efficiency. Within this, we’ve incorporated a high energy efficient air filtration to prevent damp, condensation and to combat allergies by eliminating pollen, viruses and dust.
This air system filters air as it comes into the home ensuring that it is of maximum quality for the occupant and filters it before it leaves, reducing every kind of impact for the occupant, those around and the environment. As our homes are supported with solar, this adds no cost to the monthly outlay.
Is doesn’t end there
As we stated before, for housing associations and councils to be able to regulate air quality, spot any dangerous issues and monitor the success of each home, our tech is accessed via use of an overall app and software system designed for easy and 24/7 reporting.
Our team’s heart go out to the families affected by issues caused by damp and mould. Petition for better. It exists as a fast solution to this problem. We’re proud of our team and our manufacturers, Integra, for working against the odds for 2.5 years to create a solution that solves the issue whilst putting people’s mental health and well being first. It was our aim to tackle homelessness and temporary housing with a view to creating better futures for our occupants. Air filtration is intrinsic to that.
Don’t just take our word for it though, come and see for yourself. Our one bedroom home The Parker is showcased at BRE Innovation park, Watford. Book in a slot with us here we look forward to meeting you and showing you the future of social housing.