Split sales reach 113 million units

ITALY: Split system air conditioners continue to dominate the global market with around 113 million outdoor units sold last year.

According to figures presented by BSRIA at last week’s Mostra Convegno exhibition in Milan, China continues to dominate the AC markets, followed by the US and Japan. The Chinese market has been boosted by the latest five-year plan, as well as a hot summer which resulted in restocking at distributor level and in incentives to switch to more environmentally friendly equipment.

After the overall drop in global sales in 2016, primarily due to the impact of the slowdown in China, BSRIA has seen a recovery in 2017, with estimated total volume sales reaching 136 million AC units.

China continues to hold a dominant position in the splits market with China and Asia Pacific accounting for 70% of global sales. VRF continues to do well with growth of over 20% expected in 2017, supported by the modest growth of 2% in the construction market.

BSRIA notes the continued surge in refrigerant prices in 2017, with the fluorite price reaching a six-year high. Uncertainty remains in 2018 with open questions on how the introduction of new refrigerants will impact on the availability of units, and more importantly on their cost.

BSRIA’s Anette Meyer-Holley commented: “It is certain that on the medium/long term this is not just a European issue and that changes will happen at a global level.”