Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co (燦坤實業), the nation’s largest home appliances and consumer electronics chain by sales, said yesterday that it expected sales of energy-saving inverter air conditioners to more than double this year, as domestic fuel and utility prices are expected to continue to rise.
“Tsann Kuen is upbeat about the inverter air conditioner market this year, as rising fuel and utility prices will prompt consumers to replace their traditional models with ones that will help them save energy and money,” Tsann Kuen general manager Jerry Yen (閻俊傑) said.
Tsann Kuen estimates that a customer who uses an air conditioner for an average of 2 hours per day would be able to save up to NT$1,654 a year on utility bills by using a more energy-efficient model, Yen said.
inflation
In addition to rising fuel and utility prices, Tsann Kuen said an increasing number of consumers would switch to using energy-efficient home appliances as a result of rising inflation.
Statistics provided by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics show that the nation’s consumer price index (CPI) increased by 2.96 percent year-on-year in January. Average monthly earnings increased by only 1.72 percent in the same period, the statistics showed.
Tsann Kuen projects sales of inverter air conditioners will more than double from 20,000 units last year to 50,000 units this year. Furthermore, the percentage of customers who buy inverter air conditioner models will rise from 25 percent last year to 40 percent this year, Yen said.
Tsann Kuen, which has 271 stores nationwide, is collaborating with Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Hitachi, Sanyo, Kolin and TECO brands to distribute energy-saving air conditioners.
Taiwan Kolin Co (歌林), whose air conditioners account for a third of its sales, said it was also optimistic about inverter air conditioner sales growth this year.
Company president Frank Lee (李敦仁) cited growing awareness of issues such as carbon dioxide emissions.
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