This document provides an overview of a project called Smartline that uses sensors and data collection in social housing homes to identify issues impacting residents' health and wellbeing. Sensors collect data on temperature, humidity, air quality, and utility usage which helps the housing association identify poor living conditions, vulnerable residents, and changes in financial circumstances to better target support and maintenance. While digital tools are not a panacea, when used by a trusted provider they can help target in-person support to improve health and wellbeing at scale for social housing residents. Barriers to using technology include lack of access, skills, interest and confidence, so social issues must also be addressed.

1. Get Smart
Emma Bland and Ruth Gripper
University of Exeter
How smart home and digital solutions
can support health and wellbeing
@WeAreSmartline

2. Climate crisis
Decarbonising housing association homes to
cost ‘at least’ £36bn, study warns
The cost of decarbonising housing association stock in England
by 2050 will run to at least £36bn, with a solution that
minimises fuel poverty potentially requiring an extra £13bn, a
study has found.

3. Housing and cost of
living crisis

4. Health
Hazards caused by poor quality homes in England are
costing the NHS £1.4bn a year. The Building Research
Establishment (BRE) found that 2.6m homes, making
up 11 per cent of the country’s housing stock, are
deemed ‘poor quality’ and endangering residents.

5. The digital divide

6. What is
Smartline?

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Sensors inside homes collect data on
temperature, humidity and air quality.
We also collect data on gas, water
and electricity consumption.
Sensors and data
collection

11. Smart homes for health and wellbeing

13. The cat and the latch

14. What we’ve learned
14
This information has helped Coastline to:
Identify poor living conditions
Identify vulnerable customers
Identify changes in financial circumstances
 Proactive repairs and maintenance
 Target customer support
 Reduce staff stress

15. Digital for health and wellbeing

16. Participant dashboard

17. 17
“Probably absolutely nothing wrong with
it, it’s just I'm just not very technically
minded”
Exploring attitudes to
digital
“You’re quite welcome to share my data
with Coastline, Coastline’s been good to
me.”

18. What we’ve learned
18
Trust matters
Information alone does not drive action
The barriers to using technology are not just about
access and skills – interest and confidence also
matter
Health inequality and digital inequality are
connected

19. Key takeaways
• Digital is not a panacea…
• …but it can help to identify risk and
target support
• Need a trusted provider
• Need to be ready to act on what it tells
you
• Local authorities and Housing
Associations are well placed as
intermediaries to improve health and
wellbeing at scale
“What you might at first see as a
technical problem is actually a
social problem”
Coastline Support Team member

20. Thank you for listening
Find us at exhibition stand Q31A
Join our virtual conference
on health and housing on
16th November
Online at www.smartline.org.uk

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22. Buckingham et al., 2022. The feasibility and acceptability of digital technology for health and
wellbeing in social housing residents in Cornwall: A qualitative scoping study.
Menneer et al., 2021. Changes in domestic energy and water usage during the UK COVID-19
lockdown using high-resolution temporal data.
Menneer et al., 2022. Modelling mould growth in domestic environments using relative humidity
and temperature.
Moses et al., 2019. Exposure to indoor mouldy odour increases the risk of asthma in older adults
living in social housing.
Parker et al., 2022. Strategic Networking for SMEs. Smartline Online Workshop. 26th January 2022.
Paterson et al., 2021. Indoor PM2.5, VOCs and asthma outcomes: A systematic review in adults
and their home environments.
Tu et al., 2022. Combining self-reported and sensor data to explore the relationship between fuel
poverty and health well-being in UK social housing.
Walker et al., 2020. Determinants of volunteering within a social housing community.
Williams et al., 2021. Social cohesion, mental wellbeing and health-related quality of life among a
cohort of social housing residents in Cornwall: a cross sectional study.
Williams et al., 2021. Fostering engagement with health and housing innovation: Development of
participant personas in a social housing cohort.

23. In preparation:
Johnes et al.. Using sensor data to identify factors affecting internal air quality within lower
income households in Cornwall.
Menneer et al.. A clustering approach to sampling domestic properties for sensor deployment.
Parker et al.. How entrepreneurs make strategic choices. Organisational Dynamics.
Parker et al.. Strategic networking in SMEs. Entrepreneurial Theory & Practice.
Poole et al.. Click and Connect: An online platform for housing association community
connectivity.
Taylor et al.. Understanding the potential for e-health and e-wellbeing: Lessons from the
SMARTLINE project. EuHEA Conference: Health economics for sustainable welfare systems.
Tu et al.. Smart tech for healthier homes? Household preferences for smart home appliances.
Walker et al.. Smarter social housing: user perspectives on technology adoption for healthy
homes.
Walsh et al.. Examination of fine particulate matter levels among smokers, non-smokers and
vapers in social housing in Cornwall.
Woods et al.. Smartline sensor data: Domestic environmental measures and utility usage for up to
5 years and 280 homes.