Response to Trial of Elderly Monitoring System and Utilities Management System

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for National Development how have residents in Yuhua responded to the trial of the Elderly Monitoring System and Utilities Management System and when will these systems be made available to residents in other constituencies.

In October 2015, HDB and partner agencies carried out a small-scale trial of smart home solutions, comprising the Elderly Monitoring System and the Utilities Management System, for 10 households in Yuhua.

Feedback from the participating households has been encouraging. The residents felt that the Elderly Monitoring System was not intrusive, easy to use and gave them peace of mind when their elderly family members were alone at home. The residents also shared that the Utilities Management System has helped them in tracking their utility bills and led to cost savings, some as high as 15%.

In April 2016, the trial was expanded to another 3,200 households in Yuhua, where residents could purchase smart home solution packages from commercial providers, including the Elderly Monitoring System and Utilities Management System. Outreach efforts are currently ongoing.

HDB will study the outcome of the expanded trial before deciding whether to implement the systems in other constituencies.