SINGAPORE: The centralised cooling system at Tengah has been a pioneer in terms of energy efficiency, and the take-up rate has been good, with 10,675 contracts for the system signed as of August of this year. However, there have been some teething issues with the new system, with some residents apparently saying it may not be cool enough.
There have been a few other residents who’ve said that the system leaks, a CNA report said on Friday (Oct 13). In June, a few photos of the cooling system were shared online and caused dismay, with people feeling that it was unsightly due to exposed trunking. CNA reported then that SP Group, the company responsible for the cooling system, said these pictures were unauthorised and may not show the finished product in full.
The “forest town” of Tengah will eventually contain 42,000 homes when finished, and residents began collecting their keys to the units at the end of August at two of Tengah’s projects, Plantation Acres and Plantation Grange.
The Centralised Cooling System (CCS), which has been offered to would-be HDB residents of Tengah since 2020, uses centralised chillers installed at the top of HDB blocks to cool the water, which would then be piped down to flats to cool the interiors. The big draw was that this would not only eliminate the need for conventional air-conditioning units but also lessen the operational and maintenance expenses of households.
Homeowners have been discussing the problems with the CCS over Telegram groups, CNA reported. One such resident said that the cooling is not the “usual cold”, meaning that it’s not as cool as air-conditioning, although he admitted that it’s better than not having it at all.
Another said that even when the system is set to 16 degrees Celsius, with turbo mode and full fan speed, it still felt “more like a fan.” She compared it to her parents’ air-conditioning unit, which she described as “so cold,” and added, “It’s so far away from what I’m experiencing.”
Others have said, however, that they are satisfied with the amount of coolness the CCS brings. CNA further said that SP Group will be conducting checks on the units using CCS this month to ensure that it is working well.
Some have complained of condensation, with one saying, “Water was accumulated inside the blower unit and when I touched the base of the blower accidentally, the water just flowed down. It was slowly dripping thereafter.”
SP Group set up a system wherein residents may report issues with the cooling system so that they can be addressed quickly.
2023 has been a record year for high temperatures. A heat wave that started in April affected many countries in Asia, including India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. In Singapore, the highest temperature recorded since the beginning of the year was first set on April 14 at Admiralty, 36.1°C, only to be broken less than a month later at Choa Chu Kang when the temperature reached 36.2°C. One day later, it reached 37°C at Ang Mo Kio. Global warming and this year’s El Niño event are understood to have brought about the warmer temperatures, although El Niño is expected to weaken as the year ends.
/TISG