Beijing has officially started providing winter heating services to the public, authorities said Sunday.
Trial service began a week ago, when more than 1,500 heating units in Beijing started operating on Nov. 7, said Wang Aimin, director with the office for Beijing's public heating.
Heating service is currently stable and safe, Wang said.
Beijing District Heating Group (BDHG), one of the major heat suppliers in Beijing, said it has upgraded outdated equipment in old districts to ensure that temperatures in buildings reached at least 18 degrees Celsius by midnight Sunday.
As of 10 a.m. Sunday, the group had received about 4,000 calls about heating problems, down 10 percent from last year.
Beijing's total area receiving public heating is about 780 million square meters this year, including 570 million square meters in residential buildings. Heating services will last until March 15 next year.
