As temperatures drop, the need for heat rises, and much of China now has to take extra care when heating their homes. Case in point - nearly a dozen cities across one province that can no longer use coal. They are forced to rely on other forms of energy - but can all residents feasibly do so? CGTN reporter Hu Chao shows us.

One of China's most coal-rich regions continues cracking down on the use of it. As of October, Shanxi Province's no-coal zone now stretches across eleven cities; an area spanning 3,000 kilometers. These localized zones now prohibit the storage, sale and usage of coal. So households have had to act accordingly to replace their heating systems, typically switching to gas or electricity. In the city of Datong, most urban households have been incorporated into the communal heating system.

ZHANG HAI, CHIEF ENGINEER DATONG ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION BUREAU "Our no coal zone mainly relies on communal heating systems this winter. Those who are not within the system are those households that will soon be demolished. For now, we encourage them to use clean energy for their heating supply."

The communal heating system uses heat generated by local power plants. Although the power plants still burn coal, emissions are kept low by using new technologies.

ZHANG HAI, CHIEF ENGINEER DATONG ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION BUREAU "The average daily PM2.5 concentration here from January to October was 33 micrograms per cubic meter while the number last year was 35. We've made progress and it is a good result."

In fact, Datong is one of many cities in Shanxi that started limiting coal usage a few years ago. By the end of October, nearly 4,000 coal burners were torn down. And more than 500,000 households turned to clean energy for heat. Provincial environmental authorities say in the first ten months of 2018, average levels of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide dropped respectively by about 40 and 20 percent.

HU CHAO TAIYUAN, SHANXI PROVINCE "In a bid to further curb coal consumption and reduce pollution, prevention regulations and air pollution control measures will take effect starting Jan.1st 2019. It will be the strictest law ever in the history of the province. Hu Chao, CGTN, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province."