Smart HDB living enhanced with implementation of smart parking trial

       Smart HDB living comes to fruition, with the completion of Northshore Residences I and II – the first two smart-enabled housing precincts in Punggol Northshore. In line with Singapore’s vision of a Smart Nation, Punggol Northshore is the first public housing district to testbed smart technologies right from the design stage, to enhance the planning, design and maintenance of HDB estates to bring about a more liveable, efficient, sustainable and safe living environment.

2     HDB’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr 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.  The delivery of these smart homes also caps off year 2020, where HDB marks 60 years of transforming Singapore’s public housing landscape, with significant shifts towards well-designed, smart, sustainable and community-centric towns in the last 10 years. As HDB enters its seventh decade, it will continue to tap on smart solutions and adopt bold ideas to create the best possible homes for Singaporeans.”

Northshore Residences I & II – the first two smart-enabled housing precincts in Punggol Northshore, Singapore’s first smart and sustainable district

3     As of 14 December 2020, about 85% (or 1,192 of 1,402) of home owners from Northshore Residences I and II have collected their keys.  These flats are equipped with smart distribution boards and smart sockets to help residents monitor their energy consumption. They also support the adoption of smart home solutions and applications developed by commercial companies more easily within their home. The smart distribution board replaces the conventional distribution board in HDB flats, enabling residents to monitor electricity usage across household appliances. In addition, smart sockets are provided in every bedroom, living room and kitchen within the flat. Similarly, residents can track the energy usage of a home appliance such as a television set when it is plugged into the smart socket. In turn, residents will be able to effectively moderate the use of their home appliances, enabling them to save electricity and reduce their utility bills. 

Smart Living at Punggol Northshore

4     Beyond the flat, HDB has implemented smart initiatives in Punggol Northshore to make daily living more convenient and comfortable for residents.  For example, in the planning and design of the district, HDB carried out environmental modelling to simulate the interaction of environmental factors such as wind flow, the amount of sunlight falling on a surface and shadow casting.  As a result, more greenery has been planted in potential hotspots to lower the ambient temperature, while outdoor amenities such as playgrounds are sited in well-shaded locations, creating a more pleasant living environment.

Environmental modelling helps to inform the design of open spaces, placement of amenities like playgrounds, as well as optimise the building layouts and orientation to capture wind flow and promote natural ventilation

5     Residents can also look forward to more reliable estate services, with sensors to monitor and issue alerts when maintenance of common amenities such as lights, or lifts is required. These facilities or fittings can then be checked, and any issue identified can be resolved promptly, with minimal disruption to services. In addition, estate management will be more efficient, with the introduction of new technologies, such as smart lighting at common areas that adjust lighting levels based on human traffic patterns, thus reducing energy consumption. More details on the smart features in Punggol Northshore are appended in the Annex. 

6     Residents can find out more about these smart features in a fun and interactive way with the upcoming Punggol Northshore Virtual Guide on the HDB InfoWEB (go.gov.sg/punggolnorthshore). Through educational videos, games and AR features, they can explore and discover the various smart and sustainable initiatives that have been incorporated to create a green and conducive living environment. 

More Convenient & Seamless Parking Experience

7     Come January 2021, residents living in Northshore Residences I and II, and their visitors will be the first to use a new generation parking system, which offers a seamless and more convenient parking experience. The Smart Parking system, Parking@HDB is the latest addition to the suite of smart features in the district.

8     Parking@HDB includes various features aimed at improving the parking experience for residents and motorists:

1. Seamless entry and exit for motorists
   Motorists can seamlessly enter and exit the car park. Gantry barriers will no longer be put up at the car park entrance and exit, as vehicle plates are registered via cameras.
   
   
   
   Barrier-free car park entrance and exit at the smart HDB car park in Northshore Residences
   
   
   
2. More payment options for short-term parking charges
   Motorists parking short term are encouraged to download the Parking@HDB app at Apple App Store or Google Play Store, so that they have the additional option of paying their parking charges via credit or debit card through the app. The smart parking system detects their vehicle when it enters the car park and automatically activates the parking session through the app. Parking charges will be automatically deducted when they exit the car park, without the need for motorists to manually activate the app. With this, motorists need not insert their cash cards into the In-vehicle Unit (IU), nor worry about insufficient funds.
   
   For motorists who do not have the Parking@HDB app, the parking charges will continue to be deducted from their cash card in their IU.
   
   
3. Efficient parking experience
   To provide greater convenience to motorists when searching for available lots, colour-coded LED overhead guidance indicators have been installed above every parking lot to signal lot availability. Green means lots are available for short term parking, while amber means lots are reserved for season parking. The light indicator will be switched off for occupied lots.
   
   
   Lot availability is signaled by the overhead light indicators, enabling motorists to locate available lots quickly
   
   
4. In-app alerts for motorists
   Motorists who park short term will receive in-app notifications in real-time at the start and end of their parking sessions, as well as on their incurred charges.
   
     
   Motorists will be informed at the start and end of their parking session, and parking charges
   
   Smart cameras are installed in the car park to detect motorists who park illegally. Motorists who park in an unauthorised lot will receive an automated alert informing them to shift their vehicles, if they have downloaded the app. Those who do not remove their vehicle will face a fine. Motorists without the app will not receive such a notification. Instead, the system will alert HDB to administer the enforcement backend. This will allow for automated enforcement around the clock to ensure more orderly parking that benefit both motorists and residents.
   
   
5. Flexible allocation of parking lots
   HDB will be able to better cater to the parking needs of season parking ticket holders and visitors more flexibly and effectively. Based on the data collected on car park usage, the system will automatically allocate parking lots to meet varying demands on a real-time basis. For example, during the day when demand for short-term parking is high while season parking lots are not fully occupied, the system will increase the lots for short-term parking by adjusting the light indicators from amber (indicating a season parking lot) to green (indicating availability for short-term parking). Conversely, the number of available lots for short-term parking will be reduced in the evening to ensure sufficient lots for season parking when residents return home. This will allow an efficient and dynamic allocation of parking lots to meet motorists’ needs throughout the day.
   
   

Smart Parking Trial at Punggol Northshore

9     HDB will conduct a trial of the Smart Parking system at Punggol Northshore from 4 January 2021. For a start, the trial will be carried out at one car park, PL80 comprising 1,000 parking lots, which serve the flat owners of Northshore Residences I and II. The first four features to be trialled will include the (i) seamless entry and exit to the carpark; (ii) in-app notifications on the start and end of parking sessions, and parking charges incurred; (iii) payment of parking fees via credit or debit card registered in the Parking@HDB app; and (iv) overhead light indicators which signal lot availability. Other features will be introduced progressively.

10     Motorists who download and use the Parking@HDB app will enjoy free parking for their first three parking sessions at PL80. HDB will extend the trial to other car parks in the Northshore district, in tandem with the completion of the BTO developments. We invite residents and motorists to share with us their feedback to help us in refining the system.  Based on the feedback and results of the trial, HDB will explore the feasibility of implementing the Smart Parking system beyond Punggol Northshore.