Scolmore provides smart solution for Housing Association’s homes upgrade

The Scottish government is leading the way when it comes to fire safety.

The minimum safety standards currently in place for private rented properties (and under Building Regulations) are to be extended to all other tenures including social housing and even existing owner-occupied homes. This means ‘Category LD2’ level of protection including smoke alarms in principal living rooms and heat alarms in kitchens, in addition to smoke alarms in circulation area on each storey . In addition, a CO alarm will need to be fitted where there is a carbon-fuelled heating appliance (such as boilers, fires, heaters and stoves) or a flue passes through the room.

Dunedin Canmore Housing Association has a five year investment plan in place to upgrade its tenants’ homes and will be installing over 300 kitchens and 200 bathrooms per year. It will also undertake LD2 smoke detection upgrades to 100% of its properties over a 12 month period. Scolmore were appointed to provide a range of products including the new Click Smart Switch Supply to Permanent Conversion Pack, as well as USB sockets, light switches and pendants from the Click Mode wiring accessories range. The rolling programme to upgrade the properties will see the installation of Click Smart conversion kits where required to save major intrusive works. This will allow speedy and damage-free installation of smoke detectors to the new LD2 standard within dwellings. The conversion kits provide a retrofit smart solution to allow independent control of the lighting circuit, whilst still supplying a smoke detector with constant power.

Part of the Click Smart intelligent wiring accessories range, the Switch Supply to Permanent Conversion Pack is supplied in a handy boxed unit which contains all the components required – 1 x RFSAI-61B Switching Receiver, 1 x RFIM – 40B Battery Transmitter, 1 x CMA401 Unfurnished MiniGrid Plate, and 1 x MD004W 10x Retractive Module.

David Baptie, investment manager with Dunedin Canmore, commented: “Using the conversion kits is allowing us to significantly improve the installation times and the efficiency of the installation teams. The new twin USB socket features 2 USB charging ports which are both capable of delivering 5V 2.1A simultaneously which will be very popular with our customers. All the switches are modular, which means it is easy to create dedicated or bespoke wiring solutions.”