Cold comfort for heatless Beijingers (3)

"Some compounds or buildings have their own heating infrastructure that works independently from us," he said, "so their heating service is not under our control, even if the area falls under our remit," he said.

Wang Qingwen, media officer at Beijing Municipal Commission of City Administration and Environment, which is responsible for the overall implementation of the city's heating system, said there were three reasons for the heating problems.

One is that residents who live on top floors did not turn the general switch for the system on, so the hot water could not pass through the building's system. Other causes include the buildings not being insulated properly, or some external boilers were not functioning, he told the Global Times.

"The first reason is the major one, as far as I am concerned," he said.

Wang also noted that people could call 6235-7575 if they have heating problems. The Global Times called this hotline several times Monday, but the line was always busy.

"Since many people are calling, just call it again if it's busy," he noted.

According to the Beijing Evening News Monday, the commission had issued a notice asking residents to contact their property management company before calling the heating service hotline.

BHG visited 4,000 households in Beijing on Sunday, and said that in 90 percent of homes, the average temperature had reached 19 C, which is the standard temperature for inside heating in winter, the report said.