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jsteventon
Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Posts: 191
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 Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:17 am Post subject: Cost of utilities? |
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Hi
As a newcomer to China, I have been advised that I will need to pay for utilities. Can anyone advise what kind of cost we are talking about? I would be in a 3-bedroomed apartment - with those cold winters....
Thanks! |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 3589
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:43 am Post subject: |
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First, I would advise bargaining with them. They should pay for the utilities, but this is China, and bargaining is part of the culture. If you don't bargain, they are well within their cultural more to screw you over.
Of course the obvious questions, where, how big an apartment, personal lifestyle. And rising oil prices. Prices also vary, the bigger the city, the newer the area of the city, the higher the price. Heating in the winter and A/C in the summer, maybe 500/month for 6 months, then 100/ month the rest of the time?
I pay my own, all electric, so this is my rough estimate.
Radiator heat for an 88 m2 apartmant for the winter, the government price last year was close to 3,000 RMB for four months. If you have radiator heat, the government sets the price, and you do not control the thermostat |
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jsteventon
Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:22 am Post subject: cost of utilities |
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| Many thanks for your trouble - a big help there.... |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 3589
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:28 am Post subject: |
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PS, that was for a poorer section of Zhengzhou Henan. I would expect it to be more expensive in Shanghai or Beijing.
3 bedroom apartment |
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jsteventon
Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:41 am Post subject: utilities |
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| My apartment will be in Puxi, Shanghai.... |
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North China Laowei
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 419
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 1:07 pm Post subject: Re: utilities |
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| jsteventon wrote: |
| My apartment will be in Puxi, Shanghai.... |
It all depends upon the winters and summers here.
Shanghai can be steaming and very humid from the end of April / beginning of May right through the middle of September if not later. During that period, I left my aircon on basically 24/7, it was just unbearable without it and I paid in the neighborhood of RMB 1,000 per month, I think, if not more, for an apartment a little smaller than the one you will live in.
Last winter was the snowiest and one of the coldest winters in Shanghai on record since 1949 (records before that are incomplete for some reason) and it there was one devil of an early spring blizzard. I like North American warm at home and the electricity bill was even more expensive than during the summer.
Water is minimal, truly so, and gas. depending upon whether it is piped in, or bottled propane, is also negligible. Your electric bill might give you some grief, for sure.
Last edited by North China Laowei on Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:46 am; edited 2 times in total |
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vikuk
Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 1842
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Electricity has just gone up in price - and may be expected to rise more!!!! |
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GeminiTiger
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 999
Location: China, 2005--Present
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:49 am Post subject: |
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I paid about 3300 rmb for 11 months in a similiar climate.
I liberally used my 2 electric heaters in the winter, this past year was quite bad, and this summer I leave my air-con on in a single room a lot but only at 26'.My labtop is on almost all of the time but I rarely use a TV or other electric except refrigerator and hot water heater (shower).
This past winter I had a 500 rmb February bill, I think my bill in April was 100. .. all depends on the weather. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:20 am Post subject: |
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| In my contract, my school allows 1000 rmb a month for utilities. I am to pay the difference should I go over. To date, 3 years later, I have NEVER paid a utility bill. I don't know if that means I don't go over or they just don't bother (esp. if I may go over just a little). I tend to keep my apt. toasty in the winter, cool in the summer but I do try and turn off lights, and the A/C units when I'm not there. I live in Suzhou, just a short distance west of Shanghai so I'm sure we have VERY similar weather. |
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jsteventon
Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 6:21 am Post subject: Utilities |
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| Many thanks to all of you for the information...... |
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therock
Joined: 31 Jul 2005
Posts: 1266
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:30 am Post subject: |
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| vikuk wrote: |
| Electricity has just gone up in price - and may be expected to rise more!!!! |
And wages have not gone up.
Like others have said you should be negotiating with the school for them to pay the utilities...or at least getting an allowance which will help you cover them. |
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louis.p
Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 107
Location: Tainan, Taiwan
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| therock wrote: |
Like others have said you should be negotiating with the school for them to pay the utilities...or at least getting an allowance which will help you cover them. |
I have been told that utilities will be very cheap -- about 200 a month. But it sounds like this won't turn out to be true. |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 3589
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:43 am Post subject: |
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kev
| Quote: |
| don't know if that means I don't go over or they just don't bother |
School apartment?
Luis
| Quote: |
| I have been told that utilities will be very cheap -- about 200 a month |
Partly true. Many Chinese still do not use heat at all in winter. And if you use a fan a lot, and save the A/C for when it really gets bad, and don't heat or A/C your whole apartment, then 200/mo is still doable |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:01 am Post subject: |
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| School-owned apartment, yes - - but not on school grounds. |
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