Residents raise stink over leaks, defects in Tengah centralised cooling system
SP Group said that at least 88 per cent of reported defects have been resolved by end-October.
Daniel Seow |
December 05, 2023, 10:00 AM
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Tengah residents who recently collected their keys would have been looking forward to moving into an estate touted for its green living.
They would also have been the first HDB residents to experience one of the project's milestones — the centralised cooling system that pipes cooled water directly into their homes from central chillers situated on rooftops — that was slated to provide significant energy savings.
While widely implemented in commercial buildings, Tengah is the first HDB estate to implement the centralised cooling system for its residents.
Some residents, however, did not have a pleasant experience with the new system.
They took to Telegram group chats to complain about numerous defects they discovered after collecting their keys, such as leaks, inconsistent aircon temperatures and shoddy workmanship.
SP Group, the project's operator, explained in a statement that these defects were a result of pandemic-related construction constraints, and that the tight handover schedule meant it did not have sufficient time to conduct checks on the system before key collection.
It also said it would be stepping up quality assurance checks, temporarily waiving usage fees and halving the cancellation fees for the system.
Extensive leakage from aircon pipes, condensation issues
One resident, Cheryl Sim, 29, who signed up for the system, said that she and her partner were made known about the issues about two months ago, after collecting their keys.
Sim was planning to renovate the place before moving in, but her contractors reported extensive leakage from the pipes for the aircon system.
They apparently found two leaks in one month.
Image courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
Other issues reported by Sim included a deformed aircon trunking as a result of condensation.
Image courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
Sim subsequently raised up these issues to an SP representative.
As the leakage was found along the common rooms, the trunking had to be dismantled to access the pipes inside for rectification works.
However, Sim was not impressed with the patch up job done afterwards.
Image courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
She shared another example of the rectification works done in a different unit.
Image courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
Sim also complained about getting slow responses on WhatsApp from SP representatives handling her case.
Out of fear it would start leaking again, she and her partner refrained from turning on the aircon for two weeks.
"The issue is a ticking time bomb," she added.
Not the only one
Sim is not the only resident facing these issues.
Other residents in the "CCS Defects" Telegram group complained about condensation problems, air-conditioning units blowing hot air, and other issues with workmanship.
Screenshot from Telegram, courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
"[For] ours, they tried to reinsulate the piping using black tape," one user wrote.
Sim said that many faced leakage issues even after repairs were made.
Screenshot from Telegram, courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
She added that she knows at least 10 other residents who have experienced issues with the system.
According to the official website set up by SP Group, 10,675 residents in total — or approximately eight in 10 homeowners — have signed contracts to install the new system, as of Nov. 28.
These recent complaints about the system's functionality follow previous blowback from residents who felt the system's thicker trunking looked unsightly.
Not worth the stress: Resident
Sim, who signed up for the system in 2021, admitted she had her doubts initially, as that the project would be pioneered in their estate.
She was ultimately convinced by the reputation of SP Group, and Daikin, who would be partnering to deliver the project to residents.
SP Group is responsible for providing and running the network which supplies households with chilled water from central chiller plants on rooftops, while Daikin delivers and installs the individual aircon units, sets up the piping and cables in the homes, and connects them to the larger network.
Cost savings were also an attractive plus, Sim noted.
HDB has said the system could yield up to 20 per cent of life cycle savings compared to conventional aircon systems and up to 30 per cent of energy costs.
Fast forward two years, however, and Sim admitted she is having second thoughts.
After discovering the defects, she said the time she invested trying to micro manage the repair workers and raise her concerns with management added to her stress as a home owner.
Sim was also worried that other leaks might surface in her house, which could cause water damages to the wall and skirting, or mould to grow.
She shared she would definitely have cancelled her subscription if she could get a full refund.
Though she acknowledged that the cost savings might be worth it in the long run, she was doubtful they would get to that point.
"The significant cost savings would only be seen in a 20 year period. But we only had this unit for two months and we had so many issues. It's hard to see us using it for the next year," she concluded.
In an update from Sim on Nov. 29, she told Mothership that SP Group has been working closely with her to rectify the aesthetic defects she raised up.
While Sim is uncertain if the condensation or leaking issues have been fixed for good, aesthetically there was a "significant improvement".
Image courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
Image courtesy of Cheryl Sim.
Insufficient time to conduct checks before flat handover: SP Group
In response to the feedback from residents, SP Group apologised in a statement on the official website on Nov. 6.
It acknowledged that some residents had reported workmanship issues with their aircon units, and said it was working closely with them to address the feedback.
SP Group explained that these issues largely stemmed from "construction constraints caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading HDB’s accelerated construction timeline to hand over the blocks to residents".
The first batch of residents collected their keys from August to October 2023.
"As a result, there was insufficient time to conduct checks to ensure the smooth running of the [centralised cooling system], before residents took possession of the earlier batches of flats," the operator said.
88 per cent of reported defects have been resolved by end-October
SP Group said that it has implemented a systematic and convenient reporting and rectification process for residents, and aims to resolve these issues within 10 business days.
As of Oct. 27, 470 out of a total of 536 — equivalent to 88 per cent — of reported defects have been resolved, SP Group added.
The system is covered by a 12-month warranty, during which SP Group bears the costs for rectification and repair works.
More checks, waived usage fees, cancellation charges halved
SP Group also announced some measures it is implementing to address the concerns of residents.
From October, the operator also worked with HDB to support its installation teams in conducting checks before owners collected the keys to their flats.
Moving forward, the operator will be performing an additional quality assurance check for residents who have collected their keys or will do so before Dec. 31, 2023.
SP will waive usage charges for four weeks for these customers while the checks are being scheduled.
The operator will also be waiving all centralised cooling system charges as a goodwill gesture from now until Dec. 31, 2023.
After taking into account customers' feedback, SP Group also said it would be reducing the payments to be made in the event of cancellation by 50 per cent, for all customers.
Previously, customers who cancelled their subscriptions after a 30-day cooling-off period would incur a 35 per cent installation charge.
They would also incur the full installation charge — now halved — if they cancelled after the aircon units, piping and cables had been installed in their flats.
Apologised for service delivery and communications with customers
SP Group noted that the centralised cooling system (CCS) is a new concept in the residential space and apologised for the experience faced by customers.
"We apologise that our service delivery and communications with customers have fallen short of expectations. We will endeavour to improve our customers’ experience with CCS. We thank our customers for their support, patience and understanding," the operator said.
Top image from Cheryl Sim.
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