OurCosyVale
our journey to create a cosy home | 5 rm BTO | 113sqm | Minimalist Japandi
CCS or not??
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Back in 2019, we signed up for Tengah’s pilot Centralised Cooling System. It was touted as eco-friendly, energy-saving, and cheaper than AC. Early sign-up promised a lower price and there were no mention of the potential downsides by the SP representative who promoted this to us at HDB hub. We thought, why not? We trusted the whole promising scheme and locked in a contract to pay ~$3,200 for four BTU units upon completion of our BTO. Tengah’s CCS promised the world—but the first BTO batch told a different story. Here’s why we pulled the plug and canceled before our BTO was completed. 
1. AESTHETICS HDB shared our virtual home tour only two months before completion, but we have already seen prior photos of earlier BTOs featuring these thick, unsightly CCS trunking. Sure, it can be boxed in, but that adds extra cost, and if there’s a water leak, accessing it is a headache. Which brings us to our next and most important point… 
2. FLOOD RISK CCS had a history of leaks in early Tengah BTOs. Although SP stated that they have “improved” the materials for later batches, the thought of water ruining our vinyl flooring when we go on holiday was enough to say no. 
4. NOT COLD enough We didn’t know to check BTUs (first-time buyer problems), and only later realised CCS gives 9,000 BTU for every room, including the living room (with no flexibility to switch up) A common complaint from residents with the CCS units was that the cooling system’s airflow was not as cold as conventional air conditioning. With our plan for just one unit in the living room, we knew we’d be sweating more than chilling. By opting out of the CCS, we were able to still keep our option of 1 unit but with higher BTU for stronger airflow. 
5. MAINTENANCE CCS limits our ability to choose our own technician. If anything goes wrong, we would be heavily dependent on SP for repairs. We prefer having the flexibility to select from multiple service providers for our air-conditioning needs. 
Honestly, we don’t even use our aircon much, so the energy savings from CCS wouldn’t make a meaningful difference for us. In the end, we chose peace of mind and decided to cancel our contract and installed a conventional aircon system. No ugly trunking, no worries about indoor floods etc. It’s been eight months in our new home, and we’ve never once regretted this choice!
6 days ago
