Green Doctor and Awaretag – Mould and Damp Research.

Healthy Homes, Healthy People research

We are undertaking a joint research project with Groundwork Yorkshire Green Doctors, the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), Huddersfield University, and Asthma and Lung UK, to look at the effects of mould and damp on health and the home. It is a 15 month project involving over 1000 people and is funded by Northern Gas Networks.

Awaretag sensors and AI prediction software will measure the heating, moisture and ventilation in the home over time, and create 3D visualisations of the whole home to make it easier to see where mould and damp is likely to happen, what is causing it and what remedies would work best. The technology enables risks to be seen that would typically go unnoticed.

In addition, the Awaretag app will collect measurements of respiratory health and how people feel about their environment and their health so we can link positive improvements to the home to positive improvements in health and wellbeing. We shall be cataloguing improvement interventions to see which ones provide the biggest positive impact and at what cost.

Groundwork’s Green Doctors are a national charity helping UK residents stay warm, stay well, and save money on household bills. During the project they will provide on-the-ground help to reduce the impact of any issues found or predicted. Their services include home visits and tailored advice on; reducing damp, mould and condensation, improving energy and water efficiency, maximising income, and education on how to set heating and ventilation to keep homes warm and dry.

The Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) are one of the UK’s leading policy research centres. Their expertise and leadership in tackling inequalities in homes and neighbourhoods, and creating greater economic wellbeing, will help the project reach the right levels of policy making in the UK. They are experts in performing research in a complex world and will guide how the project progresses and how we communicate findings to you and the wider public.

We hope the project will create a clearer digital picture of how homes perform with people in them and what actions make a measurable difference to health and wellbeing.

By taking part in this project, you will play a vital part in helping over 2 million homes in the UK overcome the problems of mould and damp, and the impact on their health. We hope you can join us on this journey.

This information sheet tells you about the project and what is involved. If you have any questions or would like this explained via phone, please contact: info@awaretag.com.

1. Who is AwareTag 

AwareTag is a technology company that specialises in small sensors and data analytics. 

Our technology measures temperature and humidity levels in all the rooms in your home, and creates a 3D model of where damp, mould and condensation may start.  Our predictions give personalised insights into how your home is performing, where issues may occur and what you can do to fix and prevent problems. 

2. Project background 

We are working with Groundwork Green Doctors Yorkshire (an energy and finance advice charity), Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Huddersfield and Asthma and Lung UK, researching the impact that mould, damp and heating has on people with Asthma, COPD or Emphysema.

The research is for 15 months involving over 1000 homes and is funded by Northern Gas Networks.  Working together, we aim to use our AI technology and simple-to-use sensors to predict the cause of mould and damp, measure the impact on respiratory health, and measure the improvement for health, wellbeing and the quality of the home after an intervention.  

3. What information will be collected 

The sensors collect ​temperature​ and humidity . All the data collected via the sensors is experimental and will be used only for research, academic articles and statistical purposes. 

Your participation in the research is entirely voluntary and by consent.  You may withdraw your consent at any time without giving a reason.

4. My participation 

Participation in this trial is entirely voluntary. If you choose to withdraw from the trial at any point, you can do this by emailing info@awaretag.com. 

Once you notify us of your withdrawal, we will remotely stop collecting the data from the sensors in your property and arrange for the collection of the equipment. 

We will keep all the data provided by you until the completion of the project, after which it will be anonymised, and any personal data will be deleted. 

5. What happens next

We are sending out a general questionnaire for people to complete.  It asks questions about your home and your health.  Once we get the responses back we will start inviting people to be part of the study. You do not have to accept the invitation.  If you do accept the invitation you can still withdraw at any time and don’t need to provide a reason.

Once you have agreed to take part in the study;

6. FAQs

Can I access my data? Yes! You can request your data at any time. We will also provide everyone with a secure account so they can see their data on our website.

Do I need to charge up the sensors? No. The sensors have a built in long life battery that does not need to be charged.

Do I need to connect the gateway to my WiFi? There are two versions of the gateway.  One that uses the public mobile network and the other that needs to be connected to your WiFi.  We will ask you whether you have WiFi and if you are happy to connect the gateway to it.

Where  will the data be stored?  The data will be stored on a European Amazon Web Services (AWS) server.  Contact information is stored on our Business Google Drive. All personal information will have restricted access.  All data from the sensors will be encrypted and only accessible to Awaretag members of staff.

Will the technology take recordings of speech and sound? No. The sensors only collect temperature and humidity data.

7. Contact details 

Any questions regarding this project or if you would like any additional information, please contact info@awaretag.com

8. Your rights, privacy, & data 

Who can access the data 

Access to your data will be granted only to the research team members who include; Aware Technologies Limited, Groundwork Green Doctor, Sheffield Hallam University, and the University of Huddersfield. We will not share this data with any third parties, except where allowed or required by law. 

How will we use and store your data
We will use the data from sensors in your home to develop 3D predictions of mould, damp and heating performance of your home and the homes of others. 

During the trial, data gathered by us, including any feedback you give, will be stored on amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google secure servers with appropriate protection. 

We will not use your data for sales or marketing purposes. At the end of the trial, we will publish the findings of this study in an academic report that will shared with the public. It may contain anonymised data gathered during the trial, and it will not identify you or your family members.

Your rights
You can request a copy of the data we hold about you, including the data obtained from sensors at any time in accordance with your rights under the data protection legislation. For more information about your personal rights, refer to the link provided: 

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights

Privacy Statement – Lawful basis for processing
We will process your data based on your consent in accordance with GDPR Articles- ‘The processing shall be lawful only if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies’: