Rumour has it that in the early years after Liberation in 1949, learned weathermen advised Chairman Mao Zedong that everything north of the Yangtze River was freezing cold while south of the river it was, if not warm, quite bearable in winter.

Therefore, all city dwellings north of the Yangtze would be provided with public heating and everything south would get nothing. The statutory winter minimum temperature to be delivered into a family home was set at 16 degrees Centigrade but in practice, over 20 degrees came to be the rule.

Chinese public heating systems are really something to write home about. And I mean it.

For those not up with the play, here is how it works: In every city district is a "hot water factory" which feeds pressurized hot water via well-insulated underground pipes to every house and apartment in a 5km or so radius. "Spent" water is returned, filtered, reheated and so the cycle goes on.

Many people try to hide the rather ugly-looking but efficient working cast iron radiators, which action does not make for an efficient heat transfer. But then, efficiency may be overlooked in many instances by the user because the system ensures a rather comfortable ambient temperature of around 26 degrees or higher in my experience.

Regulators, thermostats or "on/off" valves are not part of the system and are, generally, nowhere to be found. The New Pioneers of the early 1950s might have (rightly) surmised that operational problems usually occur to these bits and to shutdown a pressurized system might mean no heat for 500 families and a lot of hoop-la. So: no controls.

In summer, my Chinese friends switch the air conditioner to "High" when it is 26 degree and then it is considered that 18 degrees is comfortable. Since usual summer wear consists of a T-shirt and shorts, I find myself freezing in more homes than I care to recall.

In winter, for some reason, the word comfortable takes on another dimension and nothing below 28 degrees seems acceptable and that while most Chinese's winter-wear usually consists of two and sometimes three pairs of long underwear (one cotton and two woolen) plus a fairly generous number of woolen sweaters, T-shirts and jackets.

Before water meters were universally fitted and a flat water fee was charged, no one bothered to save water and huge shortages were encountered in dry periods. Now, with a fairly high and escalating rate, most people are very careful not to waste water and save money. The same principle should apply to public heating. If thermostats were fitted and heating costs calculated on energy consumed, most would shut down the system in the morning and switch it on when they get home. About 15 minutes should render the place comfortable with a reasonably sized radiator. Time switches or Internet-based activating systems could ensure the house is comfortable when the occupants arrive.

This is all Northerners have to concern themselves with: being able to regulate heat to individual comfort preferences and, have on/off valves and thermostats fitted to reduce wastage, saving energy and, ipso facto, money.

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