The distributed district cooling system will be installed in seven buildings in Tampines in a bid to reduce electrical consumption and bring Tampines closer to its Eco Town ambition.
Seven buildings in Tampines will soon feature a more energy-efficient cooling system, after a study found that it could help reduce electricity consumption by up to 17%, reported Channel News Asia (CNA).
The proposed network for Tampines, known as distributed district cooling, will see selected buildings’ existing cooling systems producing chilled water for the building and others around it.
The buildings will be interconnected through insulated pipes that could distribute and circulate the chilled water within a closed loop.
The study conducted by SP Group and Temasek involved 14 buildings in Tampines Central, including a commercial sports hub, retail malls, data centres as well as commercial and public offices.
On 19 August, the owners of the seven buildings, including Frasers Property and CapitaLand, signed letters of intent pledging their interest in subscribing to the proposed cooling network.
“I am hopeful that the adoption of this green cooling solution will bring Tampines closer to our ambition to be an Eco Town by 2025 and pave the way for district cooling to be explored across other towns and built-up areas,” said the adviser to Tampines Grassroots Organisations Masagos Zulkifli, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development.
“Sustainable towns and districts are essential for Singapore to meet our sustainability goals under the Singapore Green Plan 2030,” he added as quoted by CNA.
Temasek and SP’s feasibility study found that adopting the cooling system may lead to a 17% reduction in energy consumption, leading to significant cost savings.
The study estimated that about $4.3 million could be saved every year due to a reduction in equipment replacement and maintenance cost, lower energy consumption, and potential earnings from freeing up chiller plant space that could be converted into an office or retail space.
The reduction in the amount of refrigerant used and energy usage can also lead to an 18% drop in carbon emissions.
However, implementing such a system within an already developed area comes with challenges.
Some of the constraints facing the district cooling system provider include minimising disruptions to current operations to implement the system.
With these, Temasek and SP said the study could serve as a “useful blueprint” for other districts eyeing to reduce their energy consumption from cooling.
Meanwhile, discussions with the owners of other buildings are ongoing, said Temasek and SP.
SP said the distributed district cooling network installed in Tampines central might also be extended to nearby public housing blocks in the future.
However, it should first be ensured that the base operations are already stable before they can be extended into residential areas, added the group.
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Cheryl Chiew, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this story, email: cheryl@propertyguru.com.sg.
