Air-conditioning industry growth momentum or decline

With the implementation of the new standard for inverter air conditioner energy efficiency in October, the market access threshold for air conditioners will increase significantly, and the growth trend of the industry may decline. In particular, the second and third line air conditioner brands will face considerable market challenges and surviving pressures. Shuffle or speed up.

According to the industry online data, in the first half of 2013, the output of domestic air conditioners in China was 6.18547 million units, an increase of 5.22% year-on-year, and the cumulative sales volume in the first half of the year was 64.973 million units, a year-on-year increase of 3.64%. As of June, the market share of inverter air conditioner products has reached 52.54%, accounting for half of the country.

According to the relevant person in charge of TCL air conditioning, in the cold year of 2014, TCL air-conditioning launched in the 11 series of product lines, all high-end products for the frequency conversion products. In the cold year of 2014, TCL air conditioner frequency conversion is expected to exceed 50%.

However, after the industry anticipates the implementation of the new standard for variable-frequency air-conditioning energy efficiency in October, the air-conditioning industry may usher in a brief downturn, and the market share of frequency-converted products may fall slightly.

According to the provisions of the new standard, the limited value of energy efficiency of inverter air conditioners will be increased from 3.0 to 3.9, and the market access threshold will also be upgraded from 5 to 3; the new standard will add a level 1 energy efficiency product, and the second level of energy efficiency under the old standard. The product will become a Level 3 admission level. For second-tier and third-tier air-conditioning companies, the market environment will be more severe, and whether or not the product can be upgraded is crucial.

In response, the above official said that on June 9, the new inverter air conditioner energy efficiency standard (APF) was officially released; on June 11, TCL launched the first domestic APF inverter air conditioner. At present, TCL air-conditioning has taken the lead in completing the switch plan for all products. At the same time, among the new products that have been listed, TCL air conditioners have already produced four series in full compliance with the APF standard.

In addition, the responsible person added that since the country promoted energy-saving benefits, TCL's air-conditioning product lines have all been switched to energy-saving products, and the following three-level energy efficiency products have long been discontinued.

In addition to the new benchmark for energy efficiency, the “energy efficiency leader” system is also challenging the second and third-tier air-conditioning brands.

It is reported that, compared with the energy-saving subsidies policy, the “energy efficiency leader” will no longer adopt a general-purpose system, and the scope of subsidies will also be reduced. There are three main considerations for the new system for companies: most of the products of the company have reached the requirements of higher energy efficiency standards; the products themselves have substantial energy-saving technologies; the products have a certain amount of promotion in the market and occupy a certain market share.

From the third point of view, after the implementation of the “energy efficiency leader” system, the trend of “strong and strong” in the industry will be further strengthened. It is more difficult for second and third-tier air-conditioner brands to counterattack.

In this regard, the relevant person in charge of TCL air conditioning said, "The national policy is oriented, TCL air conditioning has been concerned about and support the changes and implementation of national policies. With scale theory, TCL air conditioning has not yet entered the frontline camp. But the policy is after all competition in the market. External forces, to achieve product innovation and breakthrough is the ultimate way to victory."