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Daikin test houses in coldest city

Daikin's airtight high thermal insulation house (left) and standard test house (right)  Left: "Airtight high thermal insulation housing"
Daikin’s airtight high thermal insulation house (left) and standard test house (right)

JAPAN: With heating products of increasing importance to Daikin, the Japanese air conditioning manufacturer is to officially open a new heating equipment test site in one of Japan’s coldest cities.

The complex take the form of two 2-storey residential properties – one of standard construction and one airtight property with high thermal insulation – and a single storey, 53m² commercial office.

The complex is based in Asahikawa, one of Japan’s coldest cities where average monthly temperatures from December to March fail to rise above zero. The city also sees extreme levels of snowfall, averaging just under 7.6m of snow, per year.

Daikin says that in order to expand its global air conditioning business, the development of the heating and hot water supply market is one of the most important issues. Last week, Daikin chairman and ceo Noriyuki Inoue revealed plans to increase sales to £125bn in 2015. Plans include doubling its sales in developing countries, a development of its US market through the expansion of its recently purchased Goodman business and the possible construction of new factories in Mexico and Brazil. He also revealed that the company was considering buying a heating business.

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