How To Go Even Smarter in Your Punggol Northshore Home

Singapore is a fast-paced cosmopolitan city, and this culture is translated into our incessant use of electronic gadgets. The latest technology-fueled advancement is HDB’s new breed of flats – Punggol Northshore’s “Smart” homes. In these flats, technology is deployed, from recording the temperature of the air in your house to the transportation that gets you around the estate. 

The ever-changing homes of Singapore

Why Smart Flats?

The main goal of smart flats is to reduce wastage of energy, which our precious natural resources and Mother Nature would be grateful for. Punggol Northshore homes make full usage of sensors to monitor changes around the area and respond to these changes effectively. One such feature is the air –powered waste system, which collects waste in an entirely new method and reduces the need for manpower, is environmentally friendly, and improves cleanliness altogether! Another feature is the carpark management system, which collects data on season and visitor lots and is able to adjust the amount of lots for each sector according to the time of the day.

Interesting Features

The houses in Punggol Northshore are also outfitted with additional infrastructure, which allows the homeowners to install their own smart systems, for example, cameras to monitor the elderly and children, temperature controls and also alert systems. 

Since the infrastructure is already included, it’s easier for people to tweak the system according to their preferences.

Energy Saving Tips For Us!

For us who are not living in such smart houses, we can also save energy and cut our electricity bills. Here are 10 ways on how we can go green!

1. Use The Right Bulb

Yes, you might be using the wrong ones! Compact fluorescent bulbs that are of the correct size and type are the way to go. So change your standard bulbs to these if you haven’t, as the compact fluorescent bulbs saves energy, get less hot and lasts 10 times longer than the standard bulb. 

2. Motion Detector Lights

You could also consider installing motion detector lights on places like the stairs or outdoors, making your lighting more efficient. These could be coupled with timers so that you won’t have to worry about forgetting to switch off the lights during the daytime.

3. Air Conditioning

Remember to clean your air conditioner air filters at least once a month so that it can run effectively! Also make sure that you have shut the windows and doors tightly so that the cool air will not escape, cooling the room faster and keeping it cool longer.

4. Natural

You can also opt to just use the fan the cool down the house instead. Try to make use of curtains and shades so that the sun does not enter the house too much and heat it up. Alternatively, paint the walls a light colour to reflect the sun’s heat instead of absorbing it! Window films can also help to block out the sun and reduce heat in the house.

5. Energy-efficient Gadgets

When buying home appliances such as refrigerators or washing machines, check and ensure that these appliances are energy-efficient. This will not only save our wallets, it also helps our environment by using up less energy in the long run.

6. Refrigerator

The next time you dust your house, make sure to dust behind your refrigerator as well. The dust in the coils could hinder the cooling process and make it less efficient. Also, if you can feel the cold air escaping from the doors, you might want to consider changing the rubber seals of your fridge door.

7. Clean Your Clothes The Right Way

Run the washing machine with a full load. Don’t waste the water and run many loads when one would be sufficient. Also, make use of the sun! Reduce your usage of the clothes dryer and utilising this resource instead. It’s free and available throughout the year here in Singapore. Using dryers also reduces the lifespan of your clothes so try to limit it.

8. Unplug It

Unplug your chargers, television and game consoles when not in use. These devices continually draw power even when they are on standby mode. So save electricity by pulling the plug! To make it easier, use a power strip. Now even the laziest person can’t say no to power saving.

9. Monitor

You can also use an electricity monitor to check which appliance is using up the most energy at home and consider changing to a newer version that is more energy efficient to ensure that you would not be having any wastage.

10. No To Disposables

Use rags and hand towels to clean up instead of paper towels or tissues; this helps to cut down on waste and also helps to conserve the environment at the same time!