Chinese IoT provider Tuya Smart is working with Singapore-based real estate development company Centurion to promote smart home technologies in the global rental market.

The parties also aim to deploy IoT technology to promote ESG (environmental, social and governance) and create a greener and more user-friendly rental environment.

Established in the specialised accommodation business since 2011, Centurion owns, develops and manages worker accommodation in Singapore and Malaysia under the Westlite brand, and student accommodation in Australia, UK and USA under the Dwell brand.

Prior to the partnership, Centurion had already begun to deploy Tuya residential SaaS to build a visualised and smart energy consumption system while renovating two student dormitories in Manchester and Liverpool, England.

The deployment is a core initiative in the company’s efforts in environmental sustainability, wherein Centurion aims to implement smart facility management features and systems within in its existing assets and development properties, to enhance resident living experience and reduce consumption and emissions.

Through the partnership, Tuya will provide Centurion with professional and diversified smart technology, such as smart access and energy consumption management. These can reduce energy consumption and improve management efficiency, enabling ESG goals of promoting green and low-carbon lifestyles, green buildings and smart buildings.

Also under the partnership, Dwell will develop its digital key access system for its properties using Tuya residential SaaS. This can eliminate operational needs arising from lost keys or access cards, enhance security, and bring convenience to tenants.

Through this agreement, Centurion will also become one of the few UK real estate developers to use IoT technology to upgrade student apartments. Additionally, Tuya will help Dwell in developing an energy management system to visualise and manage energy use in the apartment units.

As Centurion incorporates smart applications and services into its business scenarios, Tuya can help Centurion connect with and integrate various smart technologies and different categories or brands of smart hardware to increase operation efficiency and optimise decision-making.

“The global rental market will witness the business potential created by smartisation, thanks to the partnership between Tuya and Centurion,” said Xia Yan, head of international business for Tuya. “Tuya residential SaaS can provide customers with a vast ecosystem of hardware powered by the Tuya IoT development platform. We’ll keep improving our product capabilities to develop more scalable technologies, marketing and ecosystem services for our clients throughout the world.”

Leong Siew Fatt, head of Centurion’s student accommodation business, added: “As a multinational owner and manager of specialised accommodation, Centurion endeavours to create a greener and friendlier smart living experience for our resident-tenants while reducing energy consumption, across our properties globally. Tuya residential SaaS’s cutting-edge technological strength in energy and access is well suited to address our needs. We look forward to deepening our cooperation and working together to better realise our ESG goals.”

This partnership aims to serve as a blueprint for the smart transformation of the global rental market. Through the quick and effective implementation of smartisation and the development of an IoT platform with integrated capabilities, which enable tenants to enjoy smart living and business operations to be autonomous and controllable, companies can be better able to develop the global rental market. More than a business deal, the partnership is said to demonstrate the companies’ corporate responsibilities in ESG. To assist global customers in achieving results in both commercial performance and ESG, Tuya says it is committed to improving its energy management and other capabilities.