Maintenance of Centralised Cooling System Unit in Flats in Tengah

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the maintenance of the Centralised Cooling System (CCS) unit within the flats in Tengah new town is under the purview of the Town Council, HDB or the flat owner; and (b) whether HDB will consider offering CCS to all new BTO developments.

Mr Deputy Speaker, residents in selected Tengah projects can opt for the Centralised Cooling System (CCS), which is a more energy-efficient solution than conventional air-conditioning systems. Chilled water will be piped to homes from centralised chillers installed on the rooftops of selected Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks.

Flat owners are responsible for the maintenance of the parts of the CCS within the flat. The parts of the CCS outside the flat will be maintained by SP Group.

HDB will study the feasibility of extending the CCS to other new Build-To-Order (BTO) developments.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have two supplementary questions for the Minister.

First, how have new designs, such as the CCS and fittings, added to the cost of new BTOs? Second, if residents have a choice to install this new cooling system and if many choose not to do so, would this make the CCS sub-optimal and perhaps less cost-effective?

The first question the Member is asking is whether the design for the CCS pilot has added to the cost of the BTO units, the answer is no. The flat pricing, as I said before on various occasions, is based on affordability. Of course, in the design and construction of these blocks, to enable the CCS units to be installed on the roofs and to be piped through the units will require some upfront design and the blocks have to be built in a way as to enable this piping to be taken through. Just like when you design flats with split unit air-conditioning systems, you have to design for it as well, including putting in the air-conditioning ledges.

The second question is whether the viability of such a CCS system is dependent on the take-up level. Certainly, because when we design this pilot, we make sure that there is competition and contestability. The home owner – either by subscribing to this at the onset or further down as the programme continues – can decide whether to stay on the CCS or to change back to the split unit system because the flats are designed to carry both. You have your own aircon ledge but, if you do CCS, then you use the CCS piping. In that way, that incentivises the service provider, in this instance, SP Group, to continue to offer competitive packages and to maintain the system well.