Newton & Novena

District 11 stretches from Newton Circus through Novena to the edge of Thomson. The condo stock here spans three decades — older freehold walk-ups from the 1990s sit beside newer launches with modern VRV systems. HDB blocks around Toa Payoh fringe and medical centre offices round out the mix. The age spread means two units on the same street can have completely different aircon infrastructure.

Older freehold condos along Newton Road and Balmoral often have single-split systems installed during original construction. Replacing these with multi-split setups requires assessing whether the existing electrical supply and trunking can support the new load.

Mid-rise condos from the late 1990s frequently have narrow ledges with poor condenser clearance. Units stacked vertically create heat stacking — each floor's exhaust raises the intake temperature for the unit above.

The Novena medical belt has a cluster of clinical and office units with extended operating hours, which puts higher duty cycles on the aircon systems compared to typical residential use.