Scorching northeast heating up purchases of air conditioners

An unprecedented heatwave sweeping through Northeast China this summer is triggering a dramatic surge in demand for air conditioners, transforming a traditionally tepid market into a new hot spot for the cooling appliances sector.

Typically insulated from extreme summer heat due to its high latitude, the region — including major cities like Shenyang, Liaoning province, Changchun, Jilin province and Harbin, Heilongjiang province — has experienced prolonged periods of temperatures exceeding 30 C. In some areas, recent highs have shattered historical records.

The rare scorching heat has significantly boosted consumer demand in a market where air-conditioner ownership has long lagged behind national averages. According to data from AVC Network, offline air-conditioner sales in Heilongjiang rose 817.7 percent year-on-year during the week of June 23-29 and 438 percent between June 30 and July 6. Jilin saw year-on-year spikes of 128.8 percent and 788.4 percent during the same periods.

Suning.com, one of China's major home appliance retailers, reported skyrocketing growth in its Northeast operations. "This year's early and intense heat has caught many regions unprepared," said Wu Changfu, general manager of the store channel at Suning's Environmental Products Department.

"Many households in the Northeast are installing air conditioners for the first time." From late June, air-conditioner sales jumped 1,100 percent in Heilongjiang, 410 percent in Jilin and 588 percent in Liaoning, Wu said.

To address the sudden spike in demand, Suning has launched emergency measures, including dispatching installation teams from other regions and prioritizing vulnerable households through a dedicated "cooling green channel". The company said its daily installation completion rate has remained above 95 percent, thanks to logistics reinforcements and 24-hour delivery services.

Nationwide, demand for high-efficiency, smart and health-oriented cooling appliances is on the rise, aided by national subsidies and evolving consumer preferences. Suning reported an 82 percent year-on-year increase in sales of energy-efficient air conditioners since late June.

Chinese home appliance manufacturer Midea Group said due to the extremely hot weather, demand for air conditioners has increased significantly in Northeast China, with its sales in Heilongjiang and Jilin surging nearly fourfold year-on-year.

The recent daily installation volume of air conditioners in the two provinces reached 245,000 units, breaking historical records, the company said, adding that it has dispatched an after-sales service team consisting of 346 people, and 700 elite service engineers from key cities nationwide to Heilongjiang and Jilin.

Hisense Group said the domestic air conditioner market has seen booming sales recently, and its overall air conditioner installation volume soared 79 percent year-on-year. In particular, installation demand in Northeast China is surging, with the installation volume within a week in some areas exceeding the level for the entire month last year.

Hisense said the company has initiated a cross-regional supportive mechanism, dispatching engineers to the region and effectively alleviating service pressure.

This spate of high temperatures has also driven upgrading of the consumption structure of air conditioners, with energy-saving and intelligent products gaining popularity among consumers, it added.

Zhang Yi, an analyst with iiMedia Research who attended university in Harbin, recalled that summers there used to be mild — warm afternoons, but one still needed a blanket at night.

For decades, that climate kept demand so low that many households never even considered installing an air conditioner, Zhang said.

But this year, the spike in demand for cooling products in China's northernmost province is sending a strong new signal to the industry, he added.

Over the past five years, China's air conditioner makers have been grappling with a sluggish property market and weakening domestic demand, said iiMedia.

"Now, this unexpected boom in the Northeast is forcing companies to reevaluate their growth strategy," he said, adding that other regions once deemed low-priority — like Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces — are also emerging as promising markets, thanks to rising living standards and shifting lifestyle expectations.

For manufacturers, Zhang said to build production capacity where demand is heating up can help shorten delivery times and reduce logistical costs. Reinforcing supply chains by increasing stocks and strengthening last-mile delivery is now critical. Also, continuously exploring new demand segments — whether it's younger consumers, hotter summers or better power infrastructure — alongside energy-efficient units, are becoming a daily necessity, not a luxury, Zhang said.