SINGAPORE: Global asset manager Keppel is taking its first plunge into the centralised cooling system pioneered at Tengah with a configuration that will enter through the kitchen and run under the beam where possible.
Keppel's version of the residential cooling system will also have pipes kept at the same height throughout the unit to minimise the use of joints.
The company is the second to have been awarded the contract to design, build, own and operate the centralised cooling system at Tengah.
The system involves piping chilled water to homes from centralised chillers installed on the rooftops of selected HDB blocks to cool the flats. Considered a more energy-efficient alternative to conventional air-conditioning systems, the centralised cooling system is a key push towards developing Tengah as a smart and sustainable Housing and Development Board (HDB) town.
National grid operator SP Group designed and built the first iteration of centralised cooling systems alongside air-con manufacturer Daikin in Tengah's initial batches of flats, and continues to manage the system.
But the installation has not been smooth for all flats, with residents complaining of problems including condensation and leaks from their system.
Keppel's contract was announced in September last year. The company won a 20-year contract to handle the system at three upcoming Build-To-Order (BTO) projects - Brickland Weave, Plantation Edge I & II and Plantation Verge - which will have around 3,500 units when completed in 2027.
It is the company's first foray into district cooling in public housing.
Announcing the contract, HDB said it hoped to strengthen the industry’s capabilities with the participation of more market players.
A spokesperson for the housing authority told CNA that Keppel was awarded the contract via an open tender, where interested service providers that met HDB’s stipulated criteria could bid.
SP Group submitted a bid, HDB said, but it eventually decided to award the contract to Keppel instead.
Tengah will have five districts when completed. The first is Plantation District and the second, Garden District, is currently under development.
As of November 2024, more than 8,000 flats in the two districts have been completed – nearly 40 per cent of the 23,000 flats offered in Tengah to date. As of Nov 15, 7,921 households have collected their keys.
A five-room flat that has a centralised cooling system with pipes installed under the structural beam. (Image: Artist impression from Keppel)
The centralised cooling systems at Keppel's three projects will be connected to an "operations nerve centre", where staff can monitor the system's performance around the clock and step in when necessary.
At the Keppel EaaS Experience Centre, modelled after a flat in Tengah, staff explained how the Keppel system would differ from the current design at existing flats.
Where possible depending on the flat's layout, the pipes will enter through the kitchen along with the gas pipes. This would allow home owners to conceal them with carpentry, Keppel said.
Only two-room flats and Plantation Verge four-room flats will have pipes running through the living room due to constraints with the layout. Like previous projects, pipes will enter the flat above the main door for these units.
A two-room flat where the centralised cooling system piping comes in via the main entrance and is kept at uniform level throughout the flat. (Images: Artist impressions from Keppel)
However unlike the previous system, Keppel's pipes will stay at the same height throughout the flat from its point of entry so as to minimise the use of joints.
"The pipe trunking of each residential unit will be installed at a uniform height to reduce the number of bends and fittings required, and eliminating points with high stress where water leakages could potentially occur," the company said.
"This layout is not only efficient, allowing chilled water to be delivered smoothly throughout each home at a consistent water pressure, but also maintains a neat and aesthetically pleasing appearance."
Pipes will also run under structural beams rather than on the side, so that any trunking will extend the beam by 150mm on its underside, but there will still be at least 2m from the floor to the beam.
The Keppel EaaS Experience Centre at HDB Hub shows how pipes will run under structural beams in flats. (Photos: CNA/Koh Wan Ting)
The pipes will then run through along the corridor into each room.
To prevent leaking and condensation, Keppel said it will use high-density polyethylene which is resistant to corrosion, lightweight and durable.
It added that the pipes are surrounded by insulation made of industrial-grade polyurethane foam. Factory-fitted sections are then encased in trunking constructed from galvanised iron.
Asked why the company took up the project despite the challenges seen in the first system, Keppel said it had extensive experience in developing cooling solutions for business parks, offices, hotels and malls.
The company will announce at a later stage the partners it will work with for the system.
Keppel will also have a different tariff rate for its centralised cooling system. Its rate will be based on consumption and the energy charge rate, similar to the electricity retail market where different retailers offer different rates and prices, it said, without elaborating on a formula.
Its rate will be published on the Keppel EaaS’s website and updated every quarter, with residents notified via email.
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Keppel's version of the residential cooling system will also have pipes kept at the same height throughout the unit to minimise the use of joints.
The company is the second to have been awarded the contract to design, build, own and operate the centralised cooling system at Tengah.
The system involves piping chilled water to homes from centralised chillers installed on the rooftops of selected HDB blocks to cool the flats. Considered a more energy-efficient alternative to conventional air-conditioning systems, the centralised cooling system is a key push towards developing Tengah as a smart and sustainable Housing and Development Board (HDB) town.
National grid operator SP Group designed and built the first iteration of centralised cooling systems alongside air-con manufacturer Daikin in Tengah's initial batches of flats, and continues to manage the system.
But the installation has not been smooth for all flats, with residents complaining of problems including condensation and leaks from their system.
Keppel's contract was announced in September last year. The company won a 20-year contract to handle the system at three upcoming Build-To-Order (BTO) projects - Brickland Weave, Plantation Edge I & II and Plantation Verge - which will have around 3,500 units when completed in 2027.
It is the company's first foray into district cooling in public housing.
Announcing the contract, HDB said it hoped to strengthen the industry’s capabilities with the participation of more market players.
A spokesperson for the housing authority told CNA that Keppel was awarded the contract via an open tender, where interested service providers that met HDB’s stipulated criteria could bid.
SP Group submitted a bid, HDB said, but it eventually decided to award the contract to Keppel instead.
Tengah will have five districts when completed. The first is Plantation District and the second, Garden District, is currently under development.
As of November 2024, more than 8,000 flats in the two districts have been completed – nearly 40 per cent of the 23,000 flats offered in Tengah to date. As of Nov 15, 7,921 households have collected their keys.
Related:
A five-room flat that has a centralised cooling system with pipes installed under the structural beam. (Image: Artist impression from Keppel)
PIPES KEPT LEVEL, KITCHEN ENTRY
The centralised cooling systems at Keppel's three projects will be connected to an "operations nerve centre", where staff can monitor the system's performance around the clock and step in when necessary.
At the Keppel EaaS Experience Centre, modelled after a flat in Tengah, staff explained how the Keppel system would differ from the current design at existing flats.
Where possible depending on the flat's layout, the pipes will enter through the kitchen along with the gas pipes. This would allow home owners to conceal them with carpentry, Keppel said.
Only two-room flats and Plantation Verge four-room flats will have pipes running through the living room due to constraints with the layout. Like previous projects, pipes will enter the flat above the main door for these units.
A two-room flat where the centralised cooling system piping comes in via the main entrance and is kept at uniform level throughout the flat. (Images: Artist impressions from Keppel)
However unlike the previous system, Keppel's pipes will stay at the same height throughout the flat from its point of entry so as to minimise the use of joints.
"The pipe trunking of each residential unit will be installed at a uniform height to reduce the number of bends and fittings required, and eliminating points with high stress where water leakages could potentially occur," the company said.
"This layout is not only efficient, allowing chilled water to be delivered smoothly throughout each home at a consistent water pressure, but also maintains a neat and aesthetically pleasing appearance."
Pipes will also run under structural beams rather than on the side, so that any trunking will extend the beam by 150mm on its underside, but there will still be at least 2m from the floor to the beam.
The Keppel EaaS Experience Centre at HDB Hub shows how pipes will run under structural beams in flats. (Photos: CNA/Koh Wan Ting)
The pipes will then run through along the corridor into each room.
To prevent leaking and condensation, Keppel said it will use high-density polyethylene which is resistant to corrosion, lightweight and durable.
It added that the pipes are surrounded by insulation made of industrial-grade polyurethane foam. Factory-fitted sections are then encased in trunking constructed from galvanised iron.
Asked why the company took up the project despite the challenges seen in the first system, Keppel said it had extensive experience in developing cooling solutions for business parks, offices, hotels and malls.
The company will announce at a later stage the partners it will work with for the system.
Keppel will also have a different tariff rate for its centralised cooling system. Its rate will be based on consumption and the energy charge rate, similar to the electricity retail market where different retailers offer different rates and prices, it said, without elaborating on a formula.
Its rate will be published on the Keppel EaaS’s website and updated every quarter, with residents notified via email.
Continue reading...