A joint venture between Panasonic Homes Co. and Sojitz Corp. has launched the sale of 18 new housing units equipped with state-of-the-art air management technology in a smart town being developed in suburban Jakarta.

The announcement by PT PanaHome Deltamas Indonesia came as the smart town project, undertaken by the two Japanese companies, is proceeding in the Kota Deltamas industrial area in Bekasi, West Java Province. Eight of the units are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year and are eligible for a tax break.

The 18 are part of one of four smart-home clusters being promoted under the project called SAVASA, planned through 2030. It involves a 37-hectare area for a total capacity of around 2,500 housing units to accommodate about 10,000 inhabitants.

Panasonic's air management system that will go with the new houses automatically controls air conditioner and ventilation operations and can reduce PM2.5 particles and other contaminants indoors to a great extent, according to PT PanaHome Deltamas.

Users can also monitor PM2.5 and carbon dioxide levels by using a Panasonic app while managing temperature and humidity with mobile devices, it said.

Wulang Nur W., co-general manager of PanaHome Deltamas, said people are spending more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the change "has brought additional attention to indoor air quality as they are now also concerned with the air they breathe."

The joint venture was established in 2017 by local subsidiaries of Panasonic Homes and Sojitz to develop residential and commercial complexes under the Deltamas smart town scheme. (NNA/Kyodo)

==Kyodo

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