1,190 families get keys to first smart-enabled HDB homes here

They make up 85% of owners of 1,400 potentially high-tech flats in Punggol

Singapore's first smart-enabled Housing Board flats in Punggol Northshore come fitted with smart power sockets and high-tech distribution boards, which enable occupants to transform them into smart homes. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Singapore's first smart-enabled Housing Board flats in Punggol Northshore come fitted with smart power sockets and high-tech distribution boards, which enable occupants to transform them into smart homes. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

More than 1,400 households will be able to monitor electricity usage across appliances in smart-enabled flats in Punggol Northshore.

As at Dec 14, 1,192 home owners who have collected the keys to their flats - about 85 per cent of the total - are the first in Singapore to live in such smart-enabled Housing Board flats, the HDB said yesterday.

The 1,402 units in total are in 12 residential blocks spread across two Build-To-Order (BTO) projects, Northshore Residences I and II. These flats are equipped with smart power sockets and high-tech distribution boards, which enable occupants to transform them into smart homes.

The smart distribution board allows users to monitor their energy consumption, which, in turn, enables them to save electricity and reduce their utility bills, said HDB.

The built-in features allow residents to easily adopt other smart home solutions and applications developed by commercial companies.

Beyond the flats, smart features have been incorporated in Punggol Northshore, one of seven waterfront housing districts in Punggol.

Residents living in Northshore Residences I and II will be the first to use a new-generation parking system, the latest addition to the suite of smart features in the district.

Parking@HDB is a smart system with five new features, of which four will be trialled at one carpark with 1,000 parking spaces from Monday. There will be no gantry barriers at the carpark entrance and exit as vehicle number plates are registered by cameras.

Visitors parking there will have the option of paying the charges via credit or debit card through the Parking@HDB app. The correct fee will be automatically deducted when they exit the carpark, without motorists having to manually activate the app or use a CashCard in the in-vehicle unit.

They will receive in-app notifications in real time at the start and end of their parking sessions that will also inform them of their incurred charges. They will even be notified if they are parked in an unauthorised space.

A new overhead colour-coded LED light indicator system will signal space availability. Green indicates availability for short-term parking, while amber means reservation for season parking. The light indicator will be switched off for occupied spaces.

Using collected data on carpark usage, the smart parking system will allocate spaces between season parking and short-term parking to meet varying demands of residents and visitors on a real-time basis. This feature will be rolled out at a later date.

HDB said it will extend the trial to other carparks in the Northshore district as more BTO projects are completed.

Within the district, sensors have been deployed to analyse the performance of key estate services such as lighting, water pumps, lifts and waste collection, for predictive maintenance.

Sensor-controlled smart lighting in common areas which can be dimmed automatically, and a smart irrigation system that uses moisture sensors are in place.

HDB chief executive Cheong Koon Hean said the completion of the first smart precincts in Punggol Northshore is a "major milestone" in HDB's smart journey, which started in 2014.

Talent manager Alvin Lim, 36, who moved into his five-room flat in Northshore Residences I with his wife and two-year-old daughter earlier this month, said he intends to connect his smart TV and fridge to the built-in features for a start.

Mr Lim, who drives regularly, said the barrier-free carpark makes parking more efficient, saving him a few minutes every day.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 31, 2020, with the headline 1,190 families get keys to first smart-enabled HDB homes here. Subscribe