Power.
Longing for the days when the electricity bill showed up in your mail, or, better yet, was simply deducted from your credit card or account automatically? Don’t worry - once you get the hang of Beijing’s system, you’ll never want to go back.
Electricity in the capital works under a “prepay” system similar to the mobile phones. Somewhere near your entryway, you’ll find a dedicated meter/recharge unit – get your landlord to help identify it and the corresponding recharge card when you move in.
Once you’ve matched up the right card and unit, you can check your remaining credit by inserting the card. Getting low? You can refill the card with cash at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China branches, or at local State Grid offices. The queue in ICBC is usually intolerable, so seeking out the local State Grid is recommended.
An average three-person household will use about ¥100 worth of electricity per month, so plan accordingly. After topping up the card at the bank or utilities office, return to your meter and insert the card. Presto! You’ve just paid your utilities and ensured the power will stay on.
A few caveats: The reading on the meter is not in yuan, but a unit called “du,” one of which costs ¥0.48. So putting ¥100 on your card will result in a meter reading of about 200. Also note that you cannot recharge the meter until the reading drops below 200 – try to do so and the recharge amount will simply remain on your card. The meter’s maximum storage capacity is 2000 du, or about ¥1000.