Ccs Woes Spur Tengah Residents Seek Legal Recourse Against Sp Group
The Tengah eco-town estate was launched more than six years ago, with the aim of being a sustainable and green “forest town”. One of the innovative features of this estate was the introduction of a central cooling system (CCS) – the first of its kind in a public housing estate.
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Located on the North-South Line, Ang Mo Kio MRT Station serves as an important transportation hub for residents traveling to the CBD or southern areas of the island. With its convenient accessibility, this station is a popular choice for commuters. Additionally, the upcoming Tampines North EC, Aurelle of Tampines, will further enhance the connectivity of this station, providing even more options for commuters to reach different parts of the island. Whether heading to work or exploring the city, Ang Mo Kio MRT Station offers a convenient and efficient mode of transportation.
Initially marketed as an eco-friendly and efficient system, the CCS uses centralised condensers to pipe chilled water as the main coolant. It was advertised to save about 30% in costs compared to conventional air conditioning systems.
However, there have been teething issues with the implementation of the CCS in Tengah, leading some residents who have moved in to consider taking legal action against SP Group, the company responsible for designing and implementing the CCS across the estate.
According to a Telegram chat group called “Tengah CCS Issues”, which has over 3,000 members, out of 500 respondents, 21 (4.2%) have opened a case with the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT). Another 92 (18.4%) have indicated their intention to do so.
Out of the 21 who have opened cases, four have been successful against SP, three have not, and the rest are still ongoing. Many residents have shared that they are seeking legal recourse because they do not trust that SP will fulfill their initial promises for the CCS, and therefore wish to cancel their contracts with minimal financial losses.
As of July 22, the official website for the Tengah estate, MyTengah.sg, still quotes the outdated cost-saving estimates from November 2023.
One of the early residents of Tengah, Mrs Tan, has an ongoing case against SP. She recounts why she signed up for the CCS in 2020. According to her, it was advertised as an eco-friendly and cost-saving option, and her family wanted to support this new idea. However, she faced issues with the system soon after signing the contract. She had requested to shift her fan coil unit, but was informed that it was not possible. This had already been discussed with SP’s sales representatives before she signed the contract. Despite trying to resolve the issue for over a year, she finally requested for the pre-installation works to be halted.
Many residents have complained about water leaking from the CCS piping, which is causing issues in their homes. According to SP’s statement in November 2023, they have resolved 88% of the reported issues and have taken measures to reassure residents, such as additional quality checks. However, these measures have not eased the concerns of residents, and many have decided to cancel their contracts.
Some residents have also successfully dismissed SP’s claim for loss incurred from cancellation of contracts. For example, a resident named Maan managed to dismiss SP’s claim during his hearing at the SCT in February. He had cancelled his CCS contract after the coolant pipe in his unit could not be rerouted to accommodate his renovation plans. Maan claims that a sales representative from SP had assured him that he could cancel the contract without any repercussions. However, SP informed him that he still had to pay a cancellation fee. He then filed a claim with SCT and SP filed a counterclaim. However, the SCT dismissed SP’s claim, as they failed to produce any evidence of loss incurred.
Another resident, Jay, has decided not to pay the cancellation fee and is waiting for SP to file an SCT claim against him. He believes that there will be fewer residents going through the SCT route as many cases have been dismissed.
As of February, SP reported having over 9000 CCS subscribers in Tengah, which is about 70% of the residents who have signed leases for HDB flats there. They have stated that they aim to resolve all reported issues within 10 business days of the initial inspection.
According to Russell Pang, co-founder of local interior design firm Kinjo, who has renovated five HDB flats in Tengah, has not faced any issues with the CCS since the initial teething problems were resolved. He advises his clients to thoroughly test the CCS before renovation works, and to avoid hiding or covering the coolant piping, so that any future issues can be easily identified and remedied.
In conclusion, while the CCS is a brilliant idea, there have been teething issues with its implementation in Tengah. However, many residents and experts believe that these issues will be resolved in time and are hopeful that the CCS will become a successful and efficient cooling system for the estate.
