Compressor sales return to pre-covid levels
18th October 2022
UK: Sales of air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump compressors grew 3% to an estimated 502 million units in 2021, following a significant decline in 2020 due to covid.
The figures contained in BSRIA’s latest World Compressor study reveals that value was up 15% due to inflation at $48.6bn. This includes compressors for air conditioning (207.3 million units), heat pumps (5.4 million), and refrigeration (289.4 million).
According to BSRIA, the strong rebound was propelled in particular by rotary compressors and has already placed the market above its pre-pandemic level.
Reciprocating compressors dominate the market in terms of volume with an estimated 288 million units sold in 2022. Rotary compressors, which are sold mostly for AC applications and heat pumps, achieved sales of 197 million.
Scroll are in the third position with 17 million units sold. This compressor type is being challenged by rotary in the lower capacities, but gaining traction in larger capacity segments as their performances increase.
Screw and centrifugal compressors, both standard and oil free, account for a much smaller share in number of units, yet they command a sizeable market value of $3.3bn thanks to their high selling prices.
BSRIA predicts the market will reach the total value of $52.5bn by 2026,, its highest performance ever, as applications in air conditioning, heat pumps and refrigeration will continue to expand.
In addition, it also sees drivers such as energy efficiency, the uptake of refrigerants with a lower environmental footprint, and the improvements in compressor capacities and performances pushing up the value of the compressor market.
The BSRIA study is composed of five separate regional reports: Americas, EMEA, India, China, and Rest of Asia. In the latter the data is segmented between Japan and the other Asian countries – South-East Asia, Oceania.
The new study is aimed at updating the analysis for sales of compressors for the current year (2022), as well as extending the outlook for sales up to 2026.
For more information on the report’s content and structure, email the sales team at wmisales@bsria.co.uk.
