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Nearly 1,000 Tengah households sign up for centralised cooling system

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The energy-efficient system will be powered by solar panels on HDB block rooftops

Nearly 1,000 households have signed up for the centralised cooling system (CCS) in the upcoming "forest town" of Tengah, where some 8,000 Build-To-Order (BTO) flats have been launched so far.

Home owners who opt for the energy-efficient system will save around 15 per cent to 20 per cent in upfront costs compared with current market rates, and up to 30 per cent in life cycle costs, energy utilities provider SP Group, which runs the system in Tengah, said yesterday.

The CCS is one of many smart features that will be implemented in Tengah, which is billed as a "smart energy" town powered by artificial intelligence.

Under the CCS, chilled water will be piped to homes from centralised chillers installed on the rooftops of selected Housing Board (HDB) blocks.

This is more energy-efficient than conventional air-conditioning systems, said SP Group.

The system will be powered by solar energy generated by vertical and horizontal solar panels on the rooftops of HDB blocks.

Residents will be able to monitor and control their home energy usage via the MyTengah app, which will be run by SP Group.

They will be able to locate electric vehicle charging points via the app, and earn points to be exchanged for rewards by taking part in sustainable activities.

A digital dashboard will be installed at the lift lobby of each block, which tracks its utilities consumption and impact on the environment.

These eco-boards will also provide residents with tips on how to reduce electrical and water consumption, on top of promoting "sustainable behaviour through utilities-savings competitions between blocks", said SP Group.

Future residents and the public can now visit the new MyTengah Experience Centre at the HDB Hub at Toa Payoh Central.

There, they can learn more about the CCS and other eco-friendly solutions that will be implemented in Tengah.

Advance booking is recommended, though walk-ins are allowed, subject to capacity.

The 97 sq m experience centre can take around 16 visitors at any one time.

Mr S. Harsha, managing director of sustainable energy solutions in Singapore for SP Group, said Tengah will be the first town to have a large-scale centralised cooling system, in line with national sustainability efforts.

There are plans to provide predictive air-conditioning maintenance services for home owners using the data collected, he said.

"This is part of the end-to-end service SP Group hopes to provide, on top of the regular maintenance of the centralised chillers," said Mr Harsha.

98 PER CENT OPT IN

Around 98 per cent of the households introduced to the CCS by SP Group staff opted in, although Mr Harsha noted that they were not able to contact all 8,000 households because of the Covid-19 restrictions.

Payment will be made only on the day owners collect the keys to their new homes, with air-conditioning units by Daikin pre-installed, said SP Group.

The group declined to reveal the exact cost of the CCS.

Property