Sensors set to improve hi-tech housing

SO-CALLED "smart houses", that can recognise when people fall ill or forgot to take medication, are set to be commonplace across the UK in the near future, scientists claimed yesterday.

Dr Jim Briggs from Portsmouth University is helping to design homes to help vulnerable people live more independently.

His team is developing sensors that can assess if everything is as it should be in a house.

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This includes recognising the difference between someone falling over and simply having a nap, monitoring food levels and checking whether medication has been taken on time.

Dr Briggs said the information gathered would be uploaded to a website where relatives or carers could log on.

He said: "People want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible and installing sensors is about helping them do that while also reassuring their families that mum or dad is okay.

"Basic sensors are already commonly used in some homes and carers find them particularly useful for those suffering dementia because they can see instantly if an oven has been left on or the bath taps left running.

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"The technologies behind this have been around for many years but we are now integrating them to make sensors much more sophisticated."

Another study published yesterday by energy firm E.ON revealed that mid-terraced houses, student flats and Victorian homes are among the most energy-efficient buildings in the country.

A terraced street in Langport, Somerset, was best after others in Bradford, Sheffield, Lancaster and Peterborough.

Dr Hasim Altan, lecturer in sustainable living at Sheffield University, said: "Some properties are naturally more energy-efficient than others.

"However, by making a few small changes, customers could find themselves on the right road to upping their grades."