Central heating in south not a feasible idea

As temperatures in South China remain low for days together during winter, there are again calls for providing central heating for southern cities. Many people argue that winter is as cold in the south as it is in the north, so why not provide central heating for the southern region as well?

Winters in some southern provinces are indeed as cold as in the north because of climate change, which has made the air wetter with little or no variation in temperature for long hours. But the problem is that wet air lowers the efficiency of the central heating system, for a lot of heat is wasted in drying the air. Besides, cold spells in the south are much shorter than that in the north, so while people in some northern parts need 210 days of heating, inmost southern places they need it for just 60 days, even 40 days.

Also, even if devices are installed in communities in South China to provide central heating, they will be used for much shorter periods. That would be a waste of both labor and resources, and ironically, people will have to pay almost the same amount of money for the facility because devices account for a large percent of the total cost of central heating. By no measure will this be a smart choice for families. Therefore, it is highly possible many in the south will refuse to pay for central heating, which would further lower its efficiency and increase its cost.