Last year, Singapore grid operator SP Group waived its centralised cooling system (CCS) fees for Tengah residents at Build-To-Order (BTO) units after receiving complaints from some users.
Unfortunately, residents claimed that problems, such as leaks, still arise from the CCS.
The company said that it is working with Daikin to ramp up measures to address customers’ concerns expeditiously.
Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Yu Qinying (transliterated from Chinese) — a Tengah resident — said she was informed about the leak last Tuesday (13 Feb).
The leak resulted in a huge puddle of water in one of her bedrooms. After learning of the issue, Ms Yu informed SP Group and visited the unit the next day.
She later discovered that water had seeped into the walls and that there were stains on the ground as well.
“If it was just a condensation problem, that would be fine,” Ms Yu said. “But the water kept leaking and it didn’t stop until we turned off the control valve of the air-conditioning system.”
SP Group staff also inspected the area but stopped after she informed them she wanted to terminate the contract.
On 19 Feb, SP Group said via a press release that the issues faced by the initial batch of CCS customers were largely due to workmanship factors brought about by a “compressed timeline”.
SP Group said it worked with HDB and Daikin to identify and “expeditiously resolve” the issues.
The electricity and gas company also said that they aim to resolve all issues reported by customers within 10 business days “from the day of the initial inspection.”
SP Group added that the perception of issues with the CCS being “large-scale and widespread” was due to the initial wave of feedback by customers who moved in during the compressed timeline.
“These are teething issues that have surfaced for a new town like Tengah,” SP Group said.
The company said the situation has shown signs of stabilising after it proactively implemented additional testing, commissioning works, and quality assurance measures.
SP Group said it currently has about 80 remaining cases “in the process of being resolved within its (our) committed timeline”.
The company also noted that condensation issues were not unique to Tengah or CCS in general. Such problems are a “recognised occurrence” in air-conditioning systems, said SP Group.
SP Group also cited a written parliamentary answer by the Ministry of National Development earlier this year, which said that HDB received an average of 715 cases of feedback each year about “air-conditioning related condensation”.
“However, we understand the inconvenience caused and are dedicated to addressing the reported cases promptly,” SP Group said.
“With the experience gained from the past few months, improvements made to our installation, testing and quality assurances processes, as well as the improved flat delivery schedule going forward, we will work towards reducing such feedback cases in the months ahead.”
To ensure CCS are operationally stable and optimised, SP Group has worked with Daikin to ramp up manpower, address customers’ concerns in a timely fashion, as well as support extensive testing and commissioning for the solution.
SP Group took the opportunity to thank their customers in Tengah for their support, patience, and understanding.
MS News has reached out to SP Group and Daikin for more information on the matter.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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