新京报/The Beijing News reports on an interesting little development in Beijing’s central heating: Contracts. TBN’s Du Ding reports:
“供热合同”出台 供暖不达标将向市民赔偿
“Heating contract” promulgated. Citizens to be compensated if heating not up to standard.
北京今年出台“供热合同”，明年试行，今冬供暖11月7日点火试运行
Beijing promulgates “heating contract” this year, to be trialled next year, this winter heating to be lit November 7 for trial operation.
今后供暖期，供热单位将和市民签订“供热合同”，昨天，北京市市政市容管理委员会供热办主任郭维圻做客“首都之窗”时表示，为保障供热双方利益，今年北京将出台“供热合同”，明年试行并推广。内容包括供热企业达不到合同规定标准，将给市民赔偿等。
In the upcoming heating period heating companies will sign a “heating contract” with citizens. Beijing Municipal Cityscape Management Committee Heating Office chairman Guo Weiqi said yesterday as a guest on eBeijing (English) that in order to guarantee the interests of both parties, this year Beijing will promulgate a “heating contract” to be tested and promoted next year. The contents will include a requirement for heating companies to compensate citizens if they don’t reach the required standard.
今年出台“供热合同”
“Heating contract” promulgated this year
每年供暖期，都会发生部分市民、单位因嫌供热单位供热不到位而拒交供热费；一些供暖企业因收不到供暖费便降低供热质量。郭维圻表示，针对此问题，北京市 将通过立法的形式加以规范和完善，“立法过程中就要建立合同制度。”据介绍，该“供热合同”将由市民与供暖单位签订，如果供热企业达不到合同规定的标准， 将会给予市民相应的赔偿等。
In every year’s heating period there are some citizens and units that feel the heat supplied by heating companies is not up to standard and so refuse to pay the heating bill; some heating companies, because they don’t receive heating fees, lower the quality of heating. Guo Weiqi said that, with this problem in mind, Beijing would set standards and perfect the system through a legislative form. “We need to establish a contractual system in the legislative process.” It is said that this “heating contract” will be signed by citizens and heating companies, and that if heating companies don’t meet the standards stipulated in the contract, they will have to appropriately compensate citizens.
62357575供暖热线将开通
Heating hotline 62357575 opened
[eliding a paragraph- I don’t think we need a rundown on how much gas and coal is ready to be burned to keep us warm]
李楠表示，全市各个供热应急抢修队伍11月7日开始实行24小时值班。另外，从11月7日起将向社会开通市级供热服务热线：62357575。各区县政府大型供热企业和单位，也要同时对社会公布服务电话。
Li Nan [note: a member of the Beijing Municipal Cityscape Management Committee] said that all the city’s heating emergency repair teams would start implementing 24 hour duty from November 7. Also, from November 7 a city-level heating service hotline, 62357575, would be opened to the public. Every district and county government’s large-scale heating company will also need to publicly announce a service phone number at the same time.
Notes:
- 北京市市政市容管理委员会- well, I found their website easily enough, but I couldn’t figure out why, although their address (bjmac!) was clearly based on an English name, no English name was apparent, even if only in tiny type in the logo. So I just made up a name, and I think “cityscape” sounds way cooler than “Municipal Appearance Committee” or whatever it’s supposed to be.
- 北京市 将通过立法的形式加以规范和完善- I wound up just having to mangle that. If anybody has better suggestions, comment.
- I used “heating company” for every word referring to any kind of organisation responsible for supplying heat for simplicity’s sake.
- Yeah, I know, that last sentence I translated uglily.
Anyway, it’s good to know there’s likely to be hot water running through our radiators from November 7 and that they’re working to set and improve heating standards. Last winter our apartment hovered around the 15/16 degree mark on the coldest days and it was occasionally necessary to crank up the aircon.
