Facing the heat at home: How vulnerable households are getting some cool help

Capital Distributors, which brings KDK fans to Singapore, is working with community partners in Punggol North to improve airflow and comfort in residents’ homes

To help retiree Abdul Razak sleep in cooler comfort, he received a new ceiling fan, table fan, standing fan, water heater and ventilation fan from KDK.

PHOTO: CAPITAL DISTRIBUTORS

Published Oct 16, 2026, 04:00 AM

When the heat becomes unbearable at home, 76-year-old retiree Abdul Razak struggles to sleep, even with his fan turned on.

“I have to open all of my windows, drink lots of water, take showers; and if nothing works, I leave my flat and head downstairs,” he says.

For Abdul Razak, who has diabetes and uses a wheelchair, coping with the heat adds another challenge to daily life. So he usually leaves home before 10am and comes back at night to avoid spending afternoons indoors.

Facing a similar situation is Ta Gamas, 80, who also copes with the heat by taking frequent showers or switching on her only standing fan.

And for Wong Hoi, 80, and his wife Chang Nguk Lan, 73, the kitchen and toilet are particularly warm because their fan does not reach these areas.

For these elderly residents who live in rental units at Punggol North, keeping cool is not as simple as pressing a button to turn on the air-conditioning.

Chang Nguk Lan with her new KDK stand fan, one of the cooling solutions tailored to her home that supports better airflow and ventilation in the unit. PHOTO: CAPITAL DISTRIBUTORS

Chang Nguk Lan with her new KDK stand fan, one of the cooling solutions tailored to her home that supports better airflow and ventilation in the unit.

An invisible stressor

While hot days and warm nights are part of life in tropical Singapore, some residents are more vulnerable to heat than others.

Lim Weili, general manager of Capital Distributors , KDK ’s exclusive distributor here, says: “As Singapore gets hotter, managing heat becomes increasingly important as it can affect health, comfort and general well-being. This is especially so for vulnerable groups such as seniors.”

He adds: “Many seniors may have underlying health conditions that increase their sensitivity to heat, so creating a cooler, more comfortable living environment is critical for them.”

Recognising this, Capital Distributors marks 30 years as KDK’s exclusive distributor in Singapore to look more broadly at how airflow, ventilation and other factors affect comfort at home.

To better understand the living conditions and comfort needs of residents, it is working alongside consultancy Sustainable Living Lab (SL2), which runs StayCool, a community heat adaptation programme.

Heat stress can also be difficult to recognise, according to Celeste Koh, country manager (Singapore) of SL2. Early signs such as headache, dizziness, or feeling unusually tired can easily be mistaken for everyday discomfort.

“As we age, the body becomes less efficient at regulating heat, so older adults may not notice or respond to rising temperatures as readily,” says Koh.

She adds that heat varies from place to place, shaped by how densely an area is built up, how much greenery and shade there is, and how much concrete surrounds a block. Concrete holds heat, so walls can still feel warm hours after sunset.

Even within a neighbourhood, and even in the same block, conditions can differ further depending on how much direct sun a unit receives, how air moves through it, and how the space is used. Under HeatAware SG, an earlier SL2 community initiative covering 54 flats, the ‘feels like’ temperature indoors averaged as much as 7 deg C higher than outdoors overnight, a sign that some homes hold heat well after dark, Koh notes.

Capital Distributors staff with the 100 KDK DC stand fans distributed to residents as part of the company’s 30th anniversary community initiative on Sept 26. PHOTO: CAPITAL DISTRIBUTORS

Capital Distributors staff with the 100 KDK DC stand fans distributed to residents as part of the company’s 30th anniversary community initiative on Sept 26.

Tailoring solutions to each home

Capital Distributors and SL2 visited three Punggol North households, identified with support from the Punggol North Citizens’ Consultative Committee Development and Welfare Fund, each bringing its own lens to a shared goal of making homes cooler and more comfortable for the residents.

SL2 looked at how heat builds up in each home and how residents experience it, drawing on residents’ accounts of daily life at home, with sensors installed to track conditions over time. Capital Distributors’ specialists examined layout, airflow and ventilation, then matched a combination of indoor air quality products tailored to what each home needed.

Each household received a DC motor ceiling fan in the living room, while ventilation fans were installed in the toilets to help reduce humidity and improve airflow. Other solutions were also implemented, such as table fans, wall fans and a water heater, one of KDK’s latest products.

“We hope this initiative will bring greater comfort to the participating households and make a meaningful yet impactful difference to their daily lives,” says Lim. The residents say they have already noticed a difference.

“My home is not as warm as last time and I perspire a lot less,” says Ta. Abdul Razak agrees: “My home is more comfortable, better than before.” And Wong and Chang say they now shower twice a day, instead of repeatedly doing so to cool down.

Bringing cool comfort to more residents

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong with Capital Distributors general manager Lim Weili and Sustainable Living Lab country manager, Celeste Koh, together with resident Chang Nguk Lan at the KDK Fans Distribution event on Sept 26. PHOTO: CAPITAL DISTRIBUTORS

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong with Capital Distributors general manager Lim Weili and Sustainable Living Lab country manager, Celeste Koh, together with resident Chang Nguk Lan at the KDK Fans Distribution event on Sept 26.

This year, Capital Distributors celebrated its 30th anniversary as KDK’s exclusive distributor in Singapore with a community event on Sept 26 in Punggol North.

It was graced by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who attended the event in his capacity as adviser to Punggol GRC Grassroots Organisations. He visited selected residents’ homes for a first-hand look at how overall airflow and ventilation in the units had been improved.

Staff were also on the ground to distribute 100 DC fans at the event. Some personally assisted seniors and residents who needed extra help, even helping to carry the fans back to their homes.

Residents and their families could also pick up simple cooling tips at SL2’s interactive booth, see nostalgic KDK fan models and take part in a photo booth and ice cream station.

将KDK风扇引入新加坡的Capital Distributors公司正与榜鹅北区的社区合作伙伴携手，改善居民家中的空气流通和舒适度。

为了帮助退休人士阿卜杜勒·拉扎克睡得更凉爽舒适，KDK 向他赠送了一台新的吊扇、一台台扇、一台落地扇、一台热水器和一台通风扇。

图片：首都分销商

发布于 2026 年 10 月 16 日 上午 4:00

当家里的酷热难耐时，76岁的退休老人阿卜杜勒·拉扎克即使开着风扇也难以入睡。

“我必须打开所有窗户，喝大量的水，洗个澡；如果这些方法都不管用，我就离开公寓，下楼去，”他说。

对于患有糖尿病且需要使用轮椅的阿卜杜勒·拉扎克来说，应对炎热天气无疑给他的日常生活增添了又一​​挑战。因此，他通常早上10点前就出门，晚上才回家，以避免下午待在室内。

80 岁的塔·加马斯也面临着类似的情况，她也通过频繁淋浴或打开她唯一的立式风扇来应对炎热的天气。

对于 80 岁的黄海和 73 岁的妻子张玉兰来说，厨房和厕所尤其热，因为他们的风扇吹不到这些地方。

对于居住在榜鹅北出租房里的这些老年居民来说，保持凉爽并不像按下按钮打开空调那么简单。

张玉兰和她新买的KDK落地扇，这是为她家量身定制的降温方案之一，可以改善室内空气流通和通风。图片：首都经销商

张玉兰和她的新 KDK 落地扇，这是为她家量身定制的降温解决方案之一，可以改善室内的空气流通和通风。

一种隐形的压力源

虽然炎热的白天和温暖的夜晚是热带新加坡生活的一部分，但有些居民比其他人更容易受到高温的影响。

KDK在新加坡的独家经销商Capital Distributors的总经理林伟丽表示：“随着新加坡气温升高，防暑降温变得越来越重要，因为它会影响健康、舒适度和整体福祉。对于老年人等弱势群体来说，这一点尤其重要。”

他补充道：“许多老年人可能患有基础疾病，导致他们对热更加敏感，因此创造一个更凉爽、更舒适的生活环境对他们来说至关重要。”

鉴于此，Capital Distributors 作为 KDK 在新加坡的独家经销商已走过 30 年，并开始更广泛地研究气流、通风和其他因素如何影响家居舒适度。

为了更好地了解居民的生活条件和舒适需求，该公司正与咨询公司可持续生活实验室 (SL2) 合作，后者运营着社区热适应计划 StayCool。

SL2新加坡区经理Celeste Koh表示，中暑症状也很难识别。早期症状，如头痛、头晕或异常疲倦，很容易被误认为是日常不适。

Koh表示：“随着年龄的增长，人体调节体温的能力会下降，因此老年人可能不会像年轻人那样容易注意到或应对气温升高。”

她补充说，不同地方的温度各不相同，这取决于一个地区的建筑密度、绿化和阴凉程度，以及街区周围混凝土的覆盖程度。混凝土会吸收热量，所以日落后几个小时，墙壁仍然会感觉温暖。

即使在同一社区，甚至同一栋楼内，不同单元的室内环境也会因日照量、空气流通情况以及空间使用方式的不同而有所差异。Koh指出，在SL2早期的社区项目“HeatAware SG”（覆盖54套公寓）中，夜间室内体感温度平均比室外高出7摄氏度，这表明有些房屋在夜间仍能保持较高的温度。

9月26日，作为公司成立30周年社区活动的一部分，Capital Distributors公司员工向居民分发了100台KDK DC落地扇。照片：Capital Distributors

9 月 26 日，作为公司成立 30 周年社区活动的一部分，Capital Distributors 的员工向居民分发了 100 台 KDK DC 立式风扇。

为每户家庭量身定制解决方案

Capital Distributors 和 SL2 走访了榜鹅北的三户人家，这些家庭是在榜鹅北公民咨询委员会发展和福利基金的支持下确定的。他们各自从不同的角度出发，致力于实现让居民的家更凉爽、更舒适的共同目标。

SL2公司通过安装传感器追踪室内环境变化，并结合居民对日常生活的描述，研究了每户住宅的热量积聚情况以及居民的感受。Capital Distributors公司的专家则考察了住宅布局、气流和通风情况，然后根据每户住宅的实际需求，匹配了一套量身定制的室内空气质量产品组合。

每户家庭的客厅都安装了直流电机吊扇，卫生间则安装了通风扇，以降低湿度、改善空气流通。此外，还配备了其他降温设备，例如台扇、壁扇以及KDK最新产品之一——热水器。

林先生表示：“我们希望这项举措能为参与家庭带来更大的舒适感，并切实改善他们的日常生活。” 居民们也表示已经感受到了这种变化。

“我家不像上次那么暖和了，我也出汗少了很多，”塔说道。阿卜杜勒·拉扎克也表示赞同：“我家更舒服了，比以前好多了。”黄和张则说，他们现在一天洗两次澡，而不是像以前那样为了降温而反复洗澡。

为更多居民带来清凉舒适

9月26日，副总理颜金勇与Capital Distributors总经理林伟丽、可持续生活实验室国家经理许诗诗以及居民张玉兰一同出席了KDK风扇分发活动。照片：Capital Distributors

9月26日，副总理颜金勇与Capital Distributors总经理林伟丽、可持续生活实验室国家经理许诗诗以及居民张国兰一同出席了KDK风扇分发活动。

今年，Capital Distributors 于 9 月 26 日在榜鹅北举办社区活动，庆祝其作为 KDK 在新加坡的独家经销商成立 30 周年。

副总理颜金勇以榜鹅集选区基层组织顾问的身份出席了此次活动。他还走访了部分居民的住所，实地了解房屋整体空气流通和通风情况的改善情况。

活动现场还安排了工作人员分发100把DC风扇。一些工作人员还亲自帮助有需要的老人和居民，甚至帮忙把风扇搬回家。

居民及其家人还可以在 SL2 的互动展位上获得简单的降温技巧，看到令人怀旧的 KDK 风扇模型，并参与拍照亭和冰淇淋站的活动。