129 million air conditioners sold worldwide in 2017!

According to the JARN January 2018 special issue, the global air conditioner (AC) market saw 9.3% year-on-year growth in 2017, increasing to 129 million units (including room and packaged ACs).

China’s domestic sales of ACs exploded to 61 million units, showing year-on-year growth of 30.2%. The lasting high temperatures in most regions of China constitute the main reason for this growth. The active performance of small and medium cities as well as rural markets is also a driving force of market growth.

The United States remained the world’s second largest market in 2017 with sales increasing to 16.4 million units (+4.8%). Japan experienced an increase of 7.4% at 9.9 million units sold. In Southeast Asia, the AC market decreased by 9.2% to 7.9 million units, mainly due to unfavourable weather. India experienced an increase of 10.5% of its AC market in 2017, with sales of about 6.2 million units. Latin American AC demand increased by 5.7% with Brazil, Argentina and Mexico representing sales of 5.2 million units. The European market recovered to show a 3.6% increase with 6.4 million units sold. The Middle Eastern AC market recorded a 14.5% decrease to about 4.7 million units, impacted by the economy. In Africa, AC sales reached 2.8 million, showing a decline of 1.6% due to the unfavourable conditions of both the economy and the summer weather. Finally, the Oceanian AC market increased by 20%, with 0.95 million units sold.

In terms of technical trends, improving energy efficiency is the key concern of AC manufacturers, who continue to focus on inverter compressors, peripheral control devices and software. The evolution and falling cost of sensing technologies help create advanced comfortable airflow, custom-designed for each occupant to eliminate individual discomfort due to different perceptions of temperature. Asian manufacturers are increasingly focusing on remote monitoring and control through smartphone apps when away from home and the office.

Source: JARN Special Issue on World Air Conditioner Markets, January 25, 2018