Property developers could gain from IoT-enabled communities, says David Wilde.
The Internet of Things (IoT) could help to shape the property market, according to Essex County Council CIO and executive director for place operations, David Wilde.
Wilde told Internet of Business that IoT could initially play a big part in energy reduction, thanks to sensors telling citizens how much they’re consuming of any type of utility – whether it be gas, water or electricity. But he said this could be developed even further to help councils to save the hundreds of thousands of pounds they need, in the long run.
“If we take the energy reduction example into local government where as a council we need to save £130,000 over the next 16 years, you could use these examples and scale them up around planning,” he said.
“We could be having very different and interesting conversations with developers about developing more efficient communities that are IoT-enabled; this would add value to property prices, so there is a value in it [for the developer community] and that’s where it gets really exciting,” he said.
Related: IoT can help councils to tackle big social care issues
CIO: IoT can help create better housing
Wilde suggested that councils could be shaping multi-million pound markets to produce better quality housing which are more efficiently run.
He said citizens would be interested in buying these types of properties because they would be saving money on utilities like water, electricity and gas. Other applications of IoT for councils such as knowing when a bin is full – and therefore needs to be collected – and sensors on waste collection lorries enable residents to check where the vehicle is and how long it will take them to collect the waste – could also make for a more attractive area to live in.
Richard Copley, head of digital at Rotherham Council, suggested that councils could also use salt bins which communicate with the council when they are running low, and boilers in council houses that alert the council of impending failure.
Last week, Camden Council interim CIO Omid Shiraji suggested IoT could help councils to tackle big social care issues.
By Sooraj Shah