Heatwave sparks record ac sales

ARGENTINA: Sales of air conditioners are reported to have reached record levels in Argentina during the country’s worst ever heatwave. 

At least seven people are said to have died as temperatures rose to over 45°C in the north of the country, according to reports in the Independent.

The heatwave now appears to have subsided but for the last two weeks the intense heat had been made worse by power cuts and water shortages.

Undeterred by the power cuts, the heatwave sparked a 40% increase in  retail sales of air conditioning units and further boosted production.

Figures from Tierra del Fuego, where almost all of the equipment on the market is manufactured, show that the province produced nearly 550,000 units in the last quarter – an 84% increase on the previous quarter and over 11% up on the same period in 2012.