Selecting an Environmental Monitoring Provider: A Buyer's Guide

The environmental monitoring market has grown rapidly, with numerous providers now targeting social housing. Quality varies significantly. This guide helps housing providers evaluate options and avoid costly mistakes.

Define Your Requirements First

What Problem Are You Solving?

Before evaluating solutions, be clear about your objectives:

• Compliance with Awaab's Law timescales?
• Reducing damp and mould complaints?
• Supporting disrepair claim defence?
• Verifying retrofit effectiveness?
• Proactive risk identification?

Different objectives may prioritise different capabilities.

Scale and Scope

Consider your deployment needs:

• How many properties initially? At full rollout?
• Property types (houses, flats, sheltered housing)?
• What parameters need monitoring?
• Integration with existing systems?

Hardware Considerations

Sensor Quality and Accuracy

Not all sensors are equal:

• Accuracy specifications: What tolerances are stated?
• Calibration: Factory calibrated? Drift over time?
• Certification: Any relevant standards compliance?
• Measurement range: Suitable for UK housing conditions?

Battery Life

Frequent battery changes are operationally expensive:

• What is the stated battery life? (Be sceptical of claims)
• What affects battery life? (Reporting frequency, temperature)
• What happens when battery is low? (Alerts?)
• Battery type and cost?

Connectivity

How do sensors communicate?

• LoRaWAN: Long range, low power, requires gateway infrastructure
• NB-IoT/Cellular: Uses mobile networks, simpler deployment
• WiFi: Depends on tenant broadband, privacy considerations
• Proprietary: May lock you to single vendor

Physical Design

Consider the housing environment:

• Size and appearance (tenant acceptance)
• Mounting options (wall, ceiling, freestanding)
• Tamper resistance
• Durability and build quality

Software and Platform

User Interface

Who will use the system and how?

• Ease of use: Can housing officers use it without extensive training?
• Mobile access: Accessible on-site during inspections?
• Role-based access: Different views for different users?
• Dashboard customisation: Can you see what matters to you?

Alerting

How are you notified of issues?

• Alert channels (email, SMS, app notification)?
• Alert customisation (thresholds, timing)?
• Alert routing (different alerts to different teams)?
• Alert fatigue management (avoiding too many alerts)?

Reporting and Analytics

What insights does the platform provide?

• Standard reports (property history, portfolio overview)?
• Custom reporting capability?
• Export options (for your own analysis)?
• Trend analysis and pattern recognition?

Integration

How does it connect to your existing systems?

• API availability and documentation
• Pre-built integrations with common HMS platforms
• Data export formats
• SSO/identity integration

Service and Support

Implementation Support

What help is provided to get started?

• Project management for deployment
• Installation services or guidance
• Training for staff
• Data migration if switching providers

Ongoing Support

What happens after go-live?

• Support channels: Phone, email, chat?
• Support hours: 24/7 or business hours?
• Response times: SLAs for different issue types?
• Account management: Named contact or ticket queue?

Hardware Support

What happens when devices fail?

• Warranty terms
• Replacement process
• Who handles physical replacement?

Commercial Considerations

Pricing Models

Common approaches include:

• Per-device subscription: Monthly/annual fee per sensor
• Hardware purchase + platform fee: Separate capital and revenue costs
• All-inclusive: Single price covering hardware, software, support

Understand the total cost of ownership, not just headline price.

Contract Terms

Watch for:

• Contract length and minimum commitment
• Price escalation clauses
• Termination provisions
• Data ownership and portability

Financial Stability

IoT is a young market with many startups:

• How established is the provider?
• What's their funding position?
• What happens to your data if they fail?

References and Track Record

Housing Sector Experience

Social housing has specific requirements:

• Does the provider have housing clients?
• Do they understand Awaab's Law, HHSRS, Consumer Standards?
• Can they speak to housing-specific use cases?

Reference Sites

Always ask to speak to existing customers:

• Request references from similar-sized organisations
• Ask about implementation experience
• Enquire about any issues encountered
• Would they choose the same provider again?

Red Flags to Watch For

Technology

• Vague or exaggerated battery life claims
• No accuracy specifications available
• Proprietary connectivity with no standards compliance
• No API or integration capability

Commercial

• Unwillingness to provide detailed pricing
• Long lock-in periods with no exit provisions
• Data ownership unclear
• No reference customers willing to speak

Support

• No housing sector experience
• Vague SLAs or support commitments
• Lack of UK-based support

Evaluation Process

Recommended Steps

1. Document your requirements and success criteria
2. Research the market and create a shortlist (3-5 providers)
3. Request detailed proposals and demonstrations
4. Conduct reference calls with existing customers
5. Run a pilot with your preferred option(s)
6. Evaluate pilot results against your criteria
7. Negotiate terms and proceed to contract

Pilot Importance

A pilot is essential—demonstrations aren't enough:

• Test in your real environment
• Evaluate operational integration
• Assess actual (not theoretical) performance
• Build internal capability before full rollout