Automatic Fire Suppression for Shared Dwelling / Residential Cookers

[Nick G]

Folks,

in your vast and highly respectable experience is there a demand/market/need for a low cost, easy to install, effective automatic fire detection/suppression system for domestic cookers in shared accommodation like student houses, nurses homes, rented accommodation, sheltered accommodation etc...
Our company has an excellent solution that seems to tick all the boxes on cost and effectiveness but we are curious to know if its worth taking it to market or not. Statistics seem to indicate that a major cause of domestic fires is from the cooker (frying pan left on while the cook falls asleep scenario) but would the industry support a pre-engineered solution for this application? Curious enough the major customer for this type of system so far is the oil and gas company's for worker accommodation - but maybe that's because they are so Health and Safety Conscious....curious to know what the industry thinks...

[Big T]

From my perspective (look after 57,000 social dwellings) The need for these is more common in social premises such as sheltered, supported and student accomodation in particualr HMO's etc.

Unfortunately the reality is that the social sector doesn't have the money to spend on retro fiiting this kind of system due to cost, maintenance, and malicious activation (which is highly likely)

There is some financial assistance from certain brigades/government departments etc to encourage the installation of these, but as a large company we do not qualify, despite the quantity of people we look after.

There may be a demand from my sector in the next 5-10 years, but at the moment the reprocussions of the RRO are still moving through the business. We will undoubtedly have money to spent, just not for a considerable time....

[Psuedonym]

There are, as you are probably aware, a couple of UTC companies - e.g. Kidde , Chubb (Ansul kit). Loads of other Ansul (Tyco) UK distributors, other American manufacturers  - Amerex and one (that I can recall) Brit firm who manufacture/install these systems but they are all pretty large systems and not cheap and designed for cooking ranges rather than domestic type scenarios.

If you can provide cost effectiveness and easy retro install there certainly is a market (Can the malicious operation be avioded?) There are a large number of small/medium businesses who need this type of cover but cannot afford or require a large system or their insurance does'nt demand them as part of a policy. This could be a huge success if marketed and maybe backed by insurers.

The ABI recommend these but don't demand the suppression systems as part of an insurance requirement. They are a "boots n' braces" piece of kit.

Out of interest can you send me some info?
Give it a go and good luck.