Xinjiang has issued its first local regulations on urban heating, clarifying that room temperature should not be lower than 20°C

China News Service, Urumqi, September 17 (Zhang Jiawei) The Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held a press conference on the 17th to introduce the newly issued "Regulations on Urban Heating Supply in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"). This is the first local regulation specifically regulating urban heating in Xinjiang and will be officially implemented on October 1, 2026.

Mai Liyan Simayi, deputy secretary-general and spokesperson of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said that previously, Xinjiang's heat supply management was mainly based on the "Autonomous Region Urban Heating, Water Supply and Gas Supply Management Measures" issued by the People's Government of the Autonomous Region in 2006. This regulation combines the management of three livelihood issues: heating, water supply, and gas supply. It has been implemented for 20 years. However, with the acceleration of urbanization and the increasing number of heating contradictions and disputes, there is an urgent need for local regulations that are consistent with Xinjiang's actual conditions.

According to Ye Jianxun, deputy director of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Regulations have 7 chapters and 48 articles, which mainly include general principles, planning and construction, heat supply security, heat services, supervision and management, legal responsibilities, etc. The "Regulations" are based on the objective reality of Xinjiang's long winters and urgent heating needs, and respond one by one to outstanding issues such as the lack of rigid constraints on the renovation of old pipe networks, inconsistent temperature standards, and unclear facility maintenance responsibilities.

Regarding the room temperature standard that the public is most concerned about, the "Regulations" set a "hard bottom line" of 20°C, stipulating that the heating temperature in residents' bedrooms and living rooms should not be lower than 20°C throughout the day, which is 2°C higher than the national recommended standard. At the same time, the testing procedures are standardized, making it clear that temperature measurement must not be scheduled between 12 noon and 16:00, and a third-party retesting mechanism is introduced to prevent heating units from "acting as both athletes and referees."

Geng Mingjie, a member of the party group, deputy director and first-level inspector of the Xinjiang Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said at the press conference that the next step will be to implement the hierarchical classification propaganda, improve the supporting system details, strengthen the normal supervision of heating, and deepen refined heating services, turning "provisions" into "temperatures" to effectively ensure that people of all ethnic groups have a warm winter.