Demand for Air Conditioners Will Increase

During the period from 2005 to 2009 the number of households in Russia that use air conditioners grew up by 0.49 million units. The share of air conditioner users rose from 4.88% in 2005 to 5.75% in 2009. The increase in the number of users can be accounted for by the fact that air conditioners are no longer considered to be luxury items, but can be referred to as necessary items in household.

The demand for air conditioners is influenced by the general well-being of the Russians and the seasonal factor. In 2005-2008 the increase in the purchasing power of the society was followed by the growth of the demand for air conditioners, which decreased in 2009 because of the economic crisis. Wholesale redundancy of salaries and layoffs made the people reject unimportant purchases, and freezing of commercial and residential property projects reduced the demand for the household split-systems. During the period from 2005 to 2009 the average volume of demand for household air conditioners was 480 thousand units.

The increase in demand in 2010 was conditioned both, by the deferred demand of 2009 and by the summer heat wave in Russia. According to BusinesStat estimates, in 2010-2014 the demand for household air conditioners will increase and will total 749.1 thousand units in 2014.