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First batch of smart HDB homes to launch this week

Units at Northshore Residences I and II seen attracting higher application rates, thanks to their affordable prices

By Lee Meixian

[email protected]@LeeMeixianBT

May 26, 2015


THE first smart HDB homes, Northshore Residences I and II, will be launched in this month's build-to-order (BTO) exercise, and consultants are expecting higher application rates for them, thanks to their affordable prices.

Both projects will comprise 1,402 units across 12 blocks, with 546 units of two-room, 112 units of three-room, 519 units of four-room and 225 units of five-room flats. They are expected to be completed in Q2 2020.

Taking into account up to S$60,000 of housing grants, the prices for two-room flats at Northshore Residences I and II will start from S$28,000, while three-room flats start from S$132,000. Four-room and five-room flats start from S$249,000 and S$354,000 respectively.

Eugene Lim, ERA key executive officer, said: "The four-room and five-room flats for Northshore Residences I & II are priced some S$130,000 to S$170,000 cheaper than comparable sized resale flats that are much older and not near the waterfront.

"As such, we may be seeing an application rate of 5-6 times for both the two-room and four-room flats; with an overall application rate of 3-4 times."

R'ST Research director Ong Kah Seng expects a higher application rate of up to eight times for two-room flats, with demand coming from singles. "There is hardly any notable price premium factored into the BTO flats that come with the smart features. Their prices are still way below the resale flat prices in Punggol.

"If there is indeed any price premium due to these features, it is very slight, probably only pricing in part of the hefty installation costs, absolutely without profiting from the additional features. This is unlike private residential or executive condo developers who will price in the whole costs and sell the units at a very significant premium."

He added that any slight premium is still justifiable since it results in long-term energy saving costs.

HDB on Monday gave updates on the kinds of smart technologies Punggol Northshore, where both developments are situated, will serve as a test-bed for. These include:

environmental modelling of microclimatic conditions (studies on wind flow, temperature, solar irradiance, and shadow casting to help decision-making during the planning and design process)
smart car park management system (monitors parking demand from residents and visitors)
smart fans in the neighbourhood centre (adjusted in response to the wind speed, temperature, and human traffic
smart pneumatic waste conveyance system (monitors waste disposal and recycling patterns and volumes)
smart lighting in common areas (sensor-controlled and equipped with predictive data analytics tools to understand human traffic patterns)
smart irrigation (uses moisture sensors and considers factors that may affect the amount of water retained in the soil)
smart-enabled homes (equipped with additional infrastructure to support the easy installation of smart systems within the flat)

The flats in Punggol Northshore will be part of the 4,040 BTO flats to be launched later this week, alongside other flats in Clementi, Sembawang and Tampines.

Another 5,000 flats will also be offered in a concurrent sale of balance flats exercise, HDB said.