Electricity, piped gas and water in Singapore are supplied by SP Services. To obtain a utilities account for your residence under your name, call the SP Services hotline at (1800 2222 3333). Alternatively, you can walk into any of the customer service centers. The addresses can be found in the Expat Focus City Guide on Singapore. When applying for a utilities account, you will need to place a refundable deposit. The exact amount to the paid depends on the type of housing you live in. This deposit is returned to you when your account is terminated / closed, and after the last bill has been paid in full.

The quality of drinking tap water in Singapore is exceptional. The drinking water quality in Singapore far exceeds the international standards on safe drinking water. In 2007, the national water agency, the PUB, was awarded with the highly-regarded Stockholm Industry Water Award. It is very safe to drink water direct from the taps.

The cost of electricity in Singapore has risen substantially over the past 2 years as the result of rising fuel costs. This has, in large part, spurred on a nation-wide campaign to reduce electricity wastage. More information about tariffs is available in Expat Focus City Guide on Singapore.

For day-to-day matters, such as garbage disposal, bulky item disposal, season parking tickets for your car, you would want to contact your town council – they are the administers for such matters, among other things. All housing estates in Singapore are divided into different town councils that are derived from the election boundaries. There are 16 town councils in Singapore. If you live in a HDB flat, the town council in charge of your neighbourhood is responsible for the maintenance of the common areas outside your HDB flat, namely pest control, maintenance of lifts and common corridors, lighting and so on. If you live in a private condominium, there will be a collective management committee (made up of residents) who works with the estate management office (usually engaged by the management committee or the developer of the project) for the day-to-day matters such as waste disposal and maintenance of common areas.

Garbage disposal for residential homes is carried out on a daily basis. If you live in a high-rise building, there is usually a centralized waste disposal area. Most high-rise buildings have in-built rubbish chutes that are accessible either in each unit (usually in the kitchen), or on every level (a shared facility). Recycling is usually collected once a fortnight, depending on where you live. In some high-rise buildings, recycling efforts are collected in a centralized area, so you can bring your recyclables to the bins as and when you have some items to be recycled. If you live in a landed property, you will be issued with a garbage bin and a separate recycling bin.