Normalized extreme heatwaves across Europe have driven surging sales of Chinese air conditioners in local markets. This sales boom stems from Chinese home appliance brands’ forward-looking compliance layout, localized customized R&D capacity and highly coordinated cross-border supply chain systems, which precisely fill the supply-demand gap in the European market.
Heatwaves Fuel Export Boom of Chinese Air Conditioners
Extreme high-temperature weather has struck Europe frequently and with greater intensity this summer. Monitoring data from World Weather Attribution shows that in June, temperatures in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other countries were 5 to 12 degrees Celsius higher than seasonal averages, with multiple historic temperature records broken successively.
In the past, European heatwaves only lasted for short periods. Local residents mainly relied on electric fans and natural ventilation to cool down, making air conditioners non-essential consumer goods.
Statistics released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) for 2025–2026 indicate that the average household air conditioning penetration rate across Europe stands at merely around 20%. Southern European countries such as Italy and Spain register relatively higher penetration rates of approximately 50% and 40% respectively, while Western European nations including the UK and Germany record rates of only 3% to 5%. Data from France’s Agency for Ecological Transition puts the local residential AC installation rate between 18% and 26%. As extreme heat becomes increasingly frequent, traditional cooling methods can no longer meet demands for comfortable and healthy living, and air conditioner installation has become a necessity for a growing number of European households.
Demand from public premises has also risen sharply. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist stated on June 28 that the government would urgently purchase 30,000 air conditioners to cope with the next wave of heatwaves. The 17th arrondissement of Paris also rushed to purchase Haier air conditioners for schools under its jurisdiction.
While market demand surged dramatically, structural deficiencies in Europe’s domestic production capacity became fully apparent, resulting in severe imbalance between supply and demand. Statistics from the European Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers show Europe’s annual air conditioner output stands at only 3.2 million units against an annual market demand exceeding 10 million units, with over 60% of the supply shortfall relying on imports.
Robust demand directly drove a sharp rise in China’s air conditioner exports to the EU. General Administration of Customs data reveals China’s air conditioner export volume to the EU hit USD 3.76 billion in the first half of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 43.2%. Among all categories, mobile air conditioners suited for rental housing and old residential buildings posted export growth above 70%, with both figures hitting all-time highs. By country, China’s air conditioner exports to France, the Netherlands and Belgium doubled year-on-year in the first five months of this year, while shipments to core Central and Southern European markets including Spain and Germany maintained steady double-digit growth.
Operational data from major platforms, brands and logistics providers further attest to the red-hot European air conditioning market. Data from Joybuy, JD.com’s European online retail platform, shows air conditioner sales jumped nearly 40 times during the heatwave period from June 19 to 25 compared with the first week of June, coinciding with Joybuy’s mid-year “Summer Black Friday” shopping festival. Sales of Midea’s PortaSplit split air conditioner surged almost 42 times. Midea disclosed that shipments of the PortaSplit exceeded 200,000 sets in 2026, doubling last year’s volume. Hisense reported rapid overall growth across Europe in the first six months of the year, with Western European sales rising more than 20% year-on-year and French sales surpassing 100%. On the logistics front, Cainiao operates 28 overseas warehouses across Europe. Its outbound volume of mobile air conditioners in June this year skyrocketed 18 times year-on-year, while shipments of air conditioner accessories rose 12 times, with the UK, Germany and Poland as core demand markets.
Widening supply-demand imbalance has triggered stock shortages across local European markets. Many residents shared their experiences scrambling to buy air conditioners on social media, and scalpers even resold units at marked-up prices. Reporters learned that leading Chinese brands including Haier, Midea and Hisense have all ramped up expedited production schedules at domestic factories to rapidly fill market gaps. It was revealed that newly expanded domestic production capacity will be shipped to Europe in bulk as early as August.
Why Are Chinese Air Conditioners Selling Well in Europe?
The popularity of Chinese air conditioners in Europe can be attributed to the industry’s forward assessment of policy trends, persistent technological innovation by enterprises and efficient coordination of cross-border supply chains.
Reporters learned from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association that the EU has continuously tightened carbon emission reduction and fluorinated refrigerant control requirements through regulations such as the F-Gas Regulation, gradually restricting the use of refrigerants with high Global Warming Potential (GWP) and planning to fully phase out traditional HFC synthetic refrigerants by 2050. The new regulations are not limited to simple refrigerant replacement; they impose comprehensive transformation requirements covering safety standards, manufacturing processes, production line equipment, supply chain supporting facilities and product certification for air conditioner production, significantly raising industry entry thresholds.
Dou Yanwei, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, explained that in response to Europe’s stringent environmental compliance rules, China’s home appliance industry launched the green transformation of refrigerants more than a decade ago, proposing a solution based on the natural refrigerant R290 with zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and extremely low GWP. With multi-party support, the industry completed systematic work including basic applied technology R&D, production line renovation and standard updates, proactively laying out refrigerant technologies for the post-HFC era. Thanks to over ten years of joint efforts by home appliance enterprises and relevant stakeholders, air conditioners adopting R290 refrigerant have achieved mass commercial launch. With a GWP value of merely 3, R290 fully aligns with the EU’s long-term low-carbon and refrigerant control goals.
Yang Chao, Deputy General Manager of the Major Home Appliance Division at AVC (All View Cloud), analyzed that the upgrading of the F-Gas Regulation has become a critical watershed widening the competitive gap between Chinese brands and their Japanese, South Korean and European counterparts. Supported by sufficient technical reserves, mature mass production capacity and complete supply chain systems, Chinese air conditioner manufacturers rapidly completed technological and production line upgrades.
On the foundation of environmental compliance, domestic enterprises abandoned the export model of generic universal models. Taking local building codes, climate conditions, power supply and residential characteristics into consideration, they carried out targeted R&D focusing on four core demands: convenient installation and renovation, high energy efficiency, low noise and full regulatory compliance, building differentiated product portfolios for diverse consumer groups.
A person in charge at Gree stated that the company made early layouts in technologies including eco-friendly R290 refrigerants, stable performance under extreme temperature fluctuations and photovoltaic direct drive. Gree matches products precisely to varied user pain points: mobile air conditioners meet renters’ demand for tool-free installation and easy movement; A+++ high-efficiency split units satisfy apartment dwellers’ requirements for quiet operation and energy conservation; combined R290 heat pump water heaters and multi-split units deliver integrated cooling, heating and hot water systems for self-built houses.
Executives from Midea noted that Europe’s air conditioning market has long been plagued by user pain points such as cumbersome installation approval procedures, exorbitant labor costs, restrictions on exterior facade renovations in historic buildings and bans on installation in rental housing. Midea developed the tailor-made PortaSplit air conditioner, which requires no official approval, wall drilling or professional installation. Users can complete assembly and disassembly quickly, drastically lowering usage barriers while maintaining outstanding cooling capacity, energy efficiency and quiet performance.
Installation technicians act as key recommenders in Europe’s air conditioning market. Drawing on frontline operational feedback from installers in Italy, France and other countries, Haier customized its EXPERT series air conditioners. The product adopts a single-screw modular detachable structure that greatly simplifies installation and maintenance, with optimized disassembly and cleaning designs to eliminate odor caused by accumulated dust and enable self-cleaning by users, cutting after-sales maintenance costs. In addition, Haier’s full Pearl Premium series reaches the EU’s top A+++ energy efficiency rating, aligning with Europe’s low-carbon policies and effectively reducing users’ daily power consumption expenses.
A representative from Hisense said the brand launched the high-end Air Master (U8) series, all rated A+++ in EU energy efficiency, and the mass-market Uni series popular for easy installation and disassembly. Tool-free mobile air conditioners, equipped with exclusive technologies such as miniaturized variable-frequency systems, micro-purification and low-noise compressors, cater to urgent cooling demands amid European heatwaves. Its commercial heat pump and central air conditioning product lines target Europe’s energy transition and low-carbon renovation needs, supporting dual heating and cooling requirements and have been deployed in batches for commercial projects in Hungary, Poland and other countries.
Cross-border supply chain capacity serves as a vital guarantee for overseas delivery of air conditioners. Mobile air conditioners impose high requirements on warehousing, logistics and last-mile distribution. Cainiao operates 28 overseas warehouses across Europe covering core regions including the UK, Germany, France and Spain, enabling local stockpiling and next-day delivery. AI and robotics technologies optimize all warehousing, sorting and distribution processes to guarantee order fulfillment. Sun Beibei, Deputy General Manager of Cainiao Overseas Supply Chain, commented that the booming sales of Chinese air conditioners in Europe result from a combination of product adaptation to local demand and efficient supply chain operation.
Service as the Backbone for Long-Term Steady Growth
Short-term sales surges do not equate to sustainable localized brand operation. As European regulations continue to tighten and market competition becomes more standardized, after-sales service has evolved from a competitive bonus into a core necessity for brands to take root locally and achieve sustainable development.
A senior cross-border e-commerce practitioner surnamed Li argued that European consumers now prioritize product environmental compliance, technical standards and brands’ positive contributions to local employment and regional economic development, rather than merely comparing prices and parameters. He believes product quality only constitutes the basic market access threshold, while in-depth alignment with local rules and full-cycle localized after-sales service form the core of long-term local brand development.
“European consumers are willing to pay for premium services, which hinge primarily on transparent pricing, clearly defined service scopes, multilingual customer support and rapid after-sales fulfillment,” Wen Jianping, Founder and CEO of Beijing Jianwei Ruixing, advised. Chinese brands entering the European market should embed service planning into all sales links from the initial stage and prioritize building local service provider networks in key countries, avoiding the pitfall of prioritizing sales volume before improving after-sales support.
Xu Wei, Chief Expert at China Academy of Building Research, National Engineering Survey and Design Master and Chairman of the HVAC Branch of the Architectural Society of China, pointed out that while domestic air conditioners can meet basic EU regulatory requirements, high-end central air conditioning and other large equipment impose extremely high standards for full-process service capacity including localized customized design, on-site installation and commissioning, long-term maintenance and compliant waste appliance recycling — this represents the core challenge for Chinese brands seeking deep penetration into Europe’s high-end market.
Wen Jianping suggested the home appliance industry establish a layered, standardized service framework, formulate special service specifications for different types of air conditioners, and shore up supporting capabilities such as multilingual communication, genuine spare parts supply and compliant waste home appliance recycling. This marks the key transformation for Chinese brands from export-oriented manufacturers to locally operated European brands. (Outlook New Era)
Edit：Liu Zhiyu Responsible editor：Li Yulu
Source：www.news.cn
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