Barnens Ö in Stockholm’s northern archipelago has offered unforgettable summer camp adventures since the early 1900s. Now the business has taken the step into the digital era. IoT solutions from Ahlsell and supplier Wideco monitor water, electricity and heating systems, allowing problems to be detected before they become urgent.
As early as 1911, Barnens Dags Förening purchased land on Väddö, and today the area covers 650 hectares of land with around 400 buildings. Tens of thousands of children and young people are welcomed annually for outdoor activities and community. To meet demands for sustainability and efficiency, Barnens Ö has now installed an IoT platform and sensors that reduce costs, save time and create a greener environment.
Ahlsell’s IoT specialist Daniel Fors, who himself spent his childhood summers on the island, took the initiative for the collaboration. With so many pump houses, water towers and buildings, it became clear that digital monitoring could replace many manual checks. Ahlsell and Wideco saw potential for efficiency and therefore installed smart sensors.
Operations coordinator Annica Persson sees great benefits with the solution: – Monitoring everything remotely is both cost- and environmentally smart, and I can use my working time more efficiently. The buildings are spread over a large area, so it saves a lot of travel.
The project focuses on water reservoirs, cooling and freezing systems, and optimized heating, among other things. The sensors send warnings in real time, which has already stopped a major water leak and saved a freezer warehouse when a broken thermostat was discovered in time.
More buildings will now be connected, which further simplifies Barnens Ös’s everyday life. For Daniel Fors, it is especially fun to use modern technology to strengthen a traditional business: – The time and money saved can be spent on the camp experiences.