The "2016 White Paper on the Development of China's Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry," released by the China Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Association and other organizations during the China Refrigeration Exhibition held in Shanghai recently, shows that my country's refrigeration and air conditioning industry achieved a total industrial output value of nearly 600 billion yuan in 2016. The refrigeration industry is showing three new trends: real estate development, intelligentization, and environmental protection.
According to a Xinhua News Agency report on April 17, for the entire HVAC industry, its growth is largely related to the development of the construction industry, with real estate having a significant impact on the industry's growth rate. However, many industry insiders believe that the industry's dependence on real estate is decreasing. Data centers, pharmaceuticals, cold chain logistics, and industrial low-grade heat recovery are providing new opportunities for refrigeration, HVAC products.
"In the commercial building sector, seven to eight years ago, most projects were concentrated in the construction of office buildings, factories, government facilities, and infrastructure. However, in recent years, the fastest-growing segment in the commercial building sector has been new types of buildings such as data centers and hospitals, and the development trend is constantly changing," said Shu Ruosi, President of International Operations for United Technologies Environment, Controls & Security. He added that their air conditioning business in China is becoming less dependent on the construction industry. Lin Huanyu, an analyst at CITIC Securities, stated that recent real estate control measures in first- and second-tier cities have somewhat suppressed demand in the air conditioning industry. However, sales in third- and fourth-tier cities were strong in the early stages, and air conditioner sales have a certain lag time, so the impact is relatively small. In the medium to long term, the impact of real estate control measures is weak, and the growth potential of the refrigeration industry remains significant.
According to the "2016 China Smart Air Conditioner Market White Paper" released by the National Information Center, domestic sales of smart air conditioners increased by 10.7% year-on-year in 2016, accounting for 19.2% of the overall air conditioning market. The white paper predicts that domestic sales of smart air conditioners will maintain double-digit growth in 2017, with a year-on-year increase of 12% to 15%.
Currently, most companies are making significant attempts in the field of smart technology. Chen Cheng, an engineer at Nanjing Tianjia Air Conditioning, explained that today's air conditioning units have achieved Internet of Things (IoT) control. This means that by inserting a mobile phone SIM card into an air conditioner in a refrigeration room in a certain location, data will be transmitted to the terminal. "We can control unit projects across the country from headquarters, remotely analyze the heating and cooling temperatures of the machine rooms, and maintain their operation," Chen Cheng said.
Residents can also control their home air conditioners intelligently via their mobile phones. Liang Li, from the Commercial Air Conditioning Department of Zhuhai Gree Electric Appliances (32.910, 0.00, 0.00%), explained that by connecting to the internet via Wi-Fi, people can remotely control their air conditioners' on/off status, temperature, and other functions via their mobile phones. Cloud data analysis capabilities also make home air conditioners intelligent, such as automatically turning on the air conditioner when the indoor temperature exceeds 27 degrees Celsius or automatically activating the dehumidification function when the humidity exceeds 80%.
