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Heated Response to Winter's Onslaught

Beijing's local government is sparing no effort in ensuring that its centralized heating system maintains the temperature in all residential properties and offices above 16 degrees Centigrade (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit). A regulation issued last month warns that heating companies responsible for operating the system will be penalized if they don't provide sufficient heating services, even if users such as bankrupt companies and other firms are in financial difficulty and unable to pay their fees. In such cases, the government is responsible for giving them financial support.

The entire heating status of the city is supervised by the infrastructure- and heating-management offices of Beijing Municipal Government. On the fifth, 15th and 25th of each month, their officers make unannounced calls at different premises to check that the heating is up to the mark.

The capital's public heating system is in two categories: the local community heating system, and its huge public counterpart which is managed by the Beijing Housing and Land Use Bureau. Should you have trouble with your system, whether community or public, there are two channels by which you can report the matter. If you live in a housing block, you should report the heating fault to your property management office. If you use public heating, call your local Housing and Land Use Bureaus.