Although it is still summer in Europe, Chinese exports of heating equipment such as electric space heaters, electric blankets and air source heat pumps have soared this year as the continent is mired in the biggest energy crisis in decades, including natural gas. Industry experts say supplies from Russia have become volatile.
According to Eurostat, as of July, annual EU energy price inflation reached 38.3%, of which natural gas and electricity prices rose by 52.2% and 31.1% respectively. Many European countries are accelerating the transformation of their energy structures.
Chinese exports of electric blankets and heaters rose 97% and 23% year-on-year in the first seven months, respectively, as European consumers increased their purchases of heating equipment in the coming years, China’s General Administration of Customs said. winter.
The European market has been the main driver of growth in China’s home appliance exports. Demand for imported electric heaters has skyrocketed, especially in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, while imports of electric blankets have more than doubled in Greece, Italy, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands.
According to the China Household Electrical Manufacturers Association, China is currently the main supplier of air source heat pumps in Europe. Air source heat pumps are a common heating technology that obtains heat energy from outdoor ambient air to heat spaces, accounting for about 60% of share of the world market.
In the first half of the year, my country’s air source heat pump exports to Bulgaria, Poland, Italy and Spain increased by 614%, 373%, 198% and 71% respectively year on year.
“Russia has cut off gas supplies to several European countries, driving up the price of gas and other energy sources, leading to huge demand for energy-efficient heating equipment,” said Bo Wenxi, chief economist at Interpublic Group China, a marketing company. .
Bo Xilai said that amid soaring energy prices and natural gas shortages, European consumers increasingly prefer China’s high-quality, low-cost heating equipment.
According to market researcher GfK, Germans bought 600,000 electric heaters in the first half of the year, almost 35% more than last year.
Zhou Nan, general secretary of China Chamber of Commerce Mechanical and Electrical Products Import and Export Division of Home Appliances, said heating equipment exports have grown significantly in the first six months, and air source heat pumps and other high-efficiency heat sources in cold climates have great potential. growth.
According to ChinaIOL.com, a professional research institute specializing in data monitoring, China’s air source heat pump sales revenue in the first half of the year was 7.19 billion yuan ($1.04 billion), year on year. – an annual increase of almost 30%. household appliances market.
Domestic sales of air source heat pumps were 3.74 billion yuan, up 6.82% year on year, and exports were 3.45 billion yuan, up 68.2% year on year. Italy, Poland and Spain are up more than 50% year on year in the first six months of 2022.
ChinaIOL said air source heat pump exports are expected to maintain growth of more than 50% this year due to rising global demand for such energy-efficient heating equipment.
In the first seven months of this year, China’s home appliance maker Midea’s heat pump exports rose 215% year on year, according to ChinaIOL data. Haier Group said that in the first half of the year, exports of air source heat pumps increased by 200% compared to the same period last year, and products were mainly sold to European countries.