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@Ray – You should definitely check the sticker on the side of your aircon unit. It will tell you the power consumption. There will be 2 numbers for heating, output and input. All you need to do is divide the input number by 2000 which will give you an estimate of how much it will cost to run per hour.
I don’t use aircon during the day, or while I sleep. I do use it at night when I am at home though. It consumes 2500W, and I use it on average for about 6hrs/day. 2500/2000 * 6 (hours) * 30 (days) = 225RMB/month. Add to that increased clothes dryer usage and random use of a bedroom unit.
I have checked the stickers on a few units at work. The older standing unit we have here uses double the power of my unit at home, but produces the same amount of heat. So you should probably double the figures I gave if you have an older unit. It’s best to check the sticker on your unit, or keep track of your usage with the apartments electricity meter.
Brendan – I haven’t seen any of the newer buildings. My experience is with apartments 5 or more years old. They will usually have a separate breaker for the living room air con unit that is about 20 or 25 amps. The main breaker will then usually be 25 or 30.
Excluding all too common voltage sags the voltage in China should be 220v….
6kw @ 0.5RMB/KW = 3RMB => 6000/220 = 27AMPS
I don’t use aircon during the day in winter as I am not usually at home, or while I am sleeping. My electricity bills usually go up by 250 to 350RMB/month during winter.
Some additional thoughts…. There will be a sticker on the side of your air con unit which will state the maximum power draw for heating. Newer units will be much more efficient than older ones.
You can use the power meter, usually located directly outside your front door, to calculate how much electricity you are using. In some older apartments they are located in a group at the bottom of the stairs.
I doubt any home unit is going to use more than 3RMB/hour as that would draw more than 25amps. Larger home units are usually on their own circuit with a 20 or 25amp breaker.
In temperatures 5c and above using reverse cycle air conditioning is very efficient. New units have a theoretical 300% efficiency by drawing heat from the atmosphere. In order to keep efficiency high you need to keep the coils on the unit that sits outside clean. When the temperature drops bellow 5c ice will start to form on these coils and efficiency goes down the toilet. Eventually the unit will stop working and have to defrost itself by drawing heat out of the room. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes and sounds like a coffee peculator!
A wall mounted air con unit should use 1 to 1.5KW/hr. Obviously when the room is up to temperature it will shut off. Electicity is approximately 5 jiao per kw/hr. So these units will cost between 5jiao and 8jiao per hour. A large living room unit will use 2 to 3KW. So will cost between 1 and 1.5kuai/hour.
If you are buying a new air con unit then you should definitely look in to buying inverter (bianpin) units. These have variable rate compressors that can adjust the temperature of the hot/cold air they generate. Make sure you get the right size for the room though. These units actually use more electricity when running at full power due to needing to convert AC to DC. The savings only come when the room reaches the set temperature.
Just received an email from K C Meats which might be of interest to you Thanksgivingers….
It’s Turkey time again!
This year we have available whole frozen turkeys.
Size range 6kg – 7.5kg (13 – 16lbs approx)
Price per kg 60rmb.
We need your orders emailed in by Friday 18th November for delivery Thanksgiving week.
Rick – Back when the limit was $10k it was a government bureau. However this ICBC page says that it “should be settled at the Bank”. If you manage to convert it to RMB before it enters the country then the limit shouldn’t be an issue. I doubt you can though.
I think HSBC has premier accounts that make doing things like this easier. Let us know how it goes.
The restriction is currently set at $50k USD/calendar year. Any more than this and I believe that you’ll need to provide evidence as to what the money will be used for.
Gmail, android marketplace and gtalk appear to be back for now. Perhaps it was a glitch with the great firewall that wasn’t fixed due to the national holiday.
strongvpn.com is blocked in China. For those reading this from within the country you can access their site via this alternative address.
On a side note the android marketplace, gmail and gtalk applications have all been blocked from android handsets as of the beginning of this month. You’ll need to use a VPN to access them if you use android.
There is no such thing as an international driving license. It’s actually an International Driving Permit, which is no more than a translation of a normal driving license in to multiple languages. It allows you to drive in countries that have signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. China is not one of these countries and thus you will need a Chinese license to drive here.
China Mobile’s 3G network uses their proprietary TD-SCDMA standard, so isn’t comparable with any imported devices. The only choice you have is China Unicom.
Take a look here for more info. A friend went last week and said it was 320RMB/head for 12 people. You have to book in advance and pay a deposit as a lot of preparation is needed.
There are rules about the maximum fine they are allowed to impose, for minor stuff it’s usually 20-200RMB, and for more serious offences it’s 200-2000RMB. In the case of not having plates or a license the multiple choice test answer book they issue here states….
1.1.1.52 If a motorized vehicle on the road has no license plate, the traffic control department of the public security organ should ____________________.
A. Detain the driver
B. Impose a fine of 200 yuan ~ 2,000 yuan
C. Impose a fine of more than 2,000 yuan
D. Detain the vehicle
Answer: D
1.1.1.66 If a motorized vehicle driver who fails to obtain a driving license drives a motorized vehicle, the traffic control department of the public security organ should impose a fine of ____________.
A. 100 yuan ~ 200 yuan
B. 200 yuan ~ 500 yuan
C. 200 yuan ~ 1,000 yuan
D. 200 yuan ~ 2,000 yuan
Answer: D
1.1.1.68 If a motorized driver who fails to obtain a driving license drives a motorized vehicle, the traffic control department of the public security organ should impose a fine according to the stipulations and may also _____________.
A. Detain the driver for less than 15 days
B. Revoke the driving license
C. Detain the vehicle
D. Ban the driver for five years from re-obtaining a driving license
Answer: A
So I guess technically they could take your bike and fine you 2000RMB!
@AM – If you are intending on buying one then I would check with a traffic cop first as I could be wrong. I was informed by a motorbike riding friend of mine that <50cc motorbikes can be ridden inside the 2nd ring road. I don’t think they give much advantage over an electric scooter though.
If you want to use a credit card to make purchases on-line then you have to let the bank know. They then activate additional security.
@7 – When you sign up for a bank account here they will give you a union pay debit card. It works pretty much everywhere without charge.
