Air-conditioning unit sales soar with pre-summer heatwave
Air-conditioning unit sales soar with pre-summer heatwave
AIR-CONDITIONING unit sales have rocketed in the past few weeks in Spain, especially in the last few days with a heatwave sweeping the country.
Temperatures reached 45ºC on the east and south coasts and the islands between Thursday and today (Sunday), and are expected to continue through Monday.
Even after the heatwave passes, the thermometer is expected to sit at higher-than-average figures over the next few weeks, making summer 2017 one of the hottest on record.
And fitted air-con units and fans have sold considerably more than in past years just lately – particularly as the last couple of summers have seen the most sales and highest temperatures in September.
According to the secretary-general of the Spanish Association of Electrical Appliance Manufacturers (FAPE), Jesús Sevil, says the number of units that have shifted before summer has even started have 'easily doubled' since last year.
The first few units began to sell in May, when some parts of Spain even still have the heating on.
Most of those that have flown off the shelves are units that can be quickly set up by the average householder, since fitted air-conditioning systems take several days – and with the current heatwave, consumers simply could not wait.
Amazon Spain has reported a run on air-conditioning units, having sold three times as many in the past week as in the previous month.
“It looks like this summer has started early and very suddenly,” the company comments.
“And we've sold 241.2% more air-conditioning systems in the first week in June than we did in the same week in 2016.”
Free-standing 'tower' units and upright fans, especially the ultra-silent ones, are the most-sold systems, Amazon reveals.
Electricity consumption has already shot up as a result of air-con use this spring, with the highest level for the season seen on Thursday, at 38,520 megawatts (MW).
However, the maximum for 2017 so far is 41,381, which was on January 18, one of the coldest days of the year.
Last year, for the first time ever, the record electricity usage for Spain was seen in the summer rather than the winter – on September 6, one of the hottest days, when it soared to 40,489.
