rent . nanjingnow

Why get a toilet that uses an electric heater when you can find a place that has a natural gas supply a.k.a 天然气 [zi4ran2qi4]. Natural gas is a cost to the landlord, who has to put out some plata to install the pipes. Thereafter, you’re billed just for the gas used. What’s good about natural gas?

1. It’s cheaper than electricity.
2. You get immediate hot water.

So ask the landlord about where the hot water comes from. If it’s natural gas, your toilet will not look so cumbersome. If not, then you might see the following fixture:

Pretend you didn’t see those plastic hooks. But you saw the meter, and that basically tells you how much hot water is available. This ARISTON brand is quite common. It’s made in Italy, uses 1200W, and has a capacity of 50L. That’s comfortably good enough for 1 person.

So, what’s bad about an electric heater?

1. It’s more expensive.
2. If two or more people live in the same apartment, they may not be able to happily shower one after another during the winter.
3. In some instances, it really does take up space. But many installations these days turn the cylinder on it’s side and hide half of it in the ceiling.