Beijing historically heated apartments with coal-fired boilers, but is switching to natural gas. The central heating system is turned on from November 15 to March 15, with some exceptions. Residents pay around $500 USD for four months of heat.
Newly built homes in the suburbs surrounding Beijing are heated by electricity, but historically coal-fired boilers have heated most apartments in the Chinese capital. Though the city is now in the process of switching to natural gas, those boilers use about 12,000 tons of water to heat 840 million square feet of living space. The local government typically turns on the central heating system for Beijing’s 22 million residents on November 15 each year, and the heat flows to the radiators until March 15, although temperatures drop to chilling levels before or after those dates. .
Grouping in Beijing:
Beijing’s coal-fired power plants began pumping heat to city apartments on a rigorous schedule in the 1950s. Residents have to make do with electric heaters and electric blankets until the heat is turned on.
In recent years, Beijing officials have vowed to turn on the heat if temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius) for five consecutive days or if there is significant snowfall.
Residents living in a 1,000-square-foot (93 sq m) apartment in Beijing pay about $500 USD for four months of heat. In newer developments with their own gas boilers or electric heaters, residents pay double that amount.
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