Air-conditioning industry or reshuffled by APF

What is APF? In less than half a year, the term will no longer be unfamiliar. APF is the all-round energy efficiency of the air-conditioning system.

The newly revised standard introduces a new year-round energy consumption efficiency (APF) index for the air-conditioning system, and considers the limited value of the energy-efficiency of the air-conditioning room air-conditioner under the conditions of the specified operating conditions. The minimum allowable value. The new energy-saving limit value of the inverter air conditioner will be improved, and it will also raise the threshold for entry into the market, enabling companies to continuously improve under the supervision of industry standards.

In the second half of 2013, the air-conditioning industry will wear a “sweeping spell” again, and new energy-efficiency standards for inverter air conditioners will be released in the mid-term. After the constant-speed air-conditioning energy efficiency standards are upgraded, the entry threshold for inverter air conditioners will also increase. In the air-conditioning industry, various brands vigorously marched into the frequency conversion field, and the proportion of inverter air-conditioner market reached the highest point ever, the upgrade of the inverter air-conditioner standard undoubtedly left the industry awake again, and the requirements for technology in the air-conditioning industry are increasingly stringent.

Zhang Yanbin, vice president of Ovid Consulting, told the Aiken home network reporter that: "With the upgrade of the inverter air conditioner standard, product upgrades are the biggest difficulty facing the company."

The new standard is more comprehensive. Compared with the old inverter air conditioner energy efficiency standards, the new standard has changed in terms of energy efficiency levels, limit values, and evaluation indicators. The modified energy efficiency limit value of the inverter air conditioner will be increased from the current 3.0 to 3.9, and the market access threshold will also be upgraded from 5 to 3 levels. It is not just a simple upgrade of the energy efficiency class. The newly revised standard introduces a new annual energy consumption efficiency (APF) index for the cooling and heating air-conditioner. The limited value of the energy efficiency of the speed-controlled room air conditioner must be examined under the specified operating conditions. , The minimum allowable value of air-conditioning cooling and heating operation APF. The new energy-saving limit value of the inverter air conditioner will be improved, and it will also raise the threshold for entry into the market, enabling companies to continuously improve under the supervision of industry standards.

Prior to this, the common energy efficiency indicators in the air-conditioning industry are mainly EER (refrigeration) and COP (heating), which are mainly applicable to constant-speed air conditioners; seasonal energy-efficiency ratios applicable to inverter air conditioners have a seasonal energy consumption efficiency (SERR), Heating season energy consumption efficiency (HSPF) and annual energy consumption efficiency (APF).

Compared with EER and SEER, APF has more comprehensive assessment of air-conditioning performance. It not only considers the cooling capacity of air-conditioning but also includes heating factors. Some companies believe that this is the most reasonable air-conditioning energy efficiency evaluation index.

Japan is a country with a high level of global air-conditioning energy efficiency. In order to increase the efficiency of air-conditioning energy conservation, the “leadership system” has been implemented since 1999. In 2004, the “second runner system” was implemented. In the first-time leader system, The COP is an energy efficiency evaluation indicator. In the third year of the second leader system, the APF evaluation indicator was adopted in 2006. Now, Japan uses the APF evaluation system for all home air conditioners. In the current formulation of ISO international standards, APF has also been listed as an indicator for evaluating fixed-speed air conditioners and inverter air conditioners.

Energy conservation is an important part of China's 12th Five-Year Plan, and it is also the core of various industrial policies of the industry in the past two years. It is clearly stated in the air-conditioning industry development plan that by 2015, the energy efficiency of inverter air conditioners will increase by 20% compared with 2010, and will increase by 20% from 2020 to 2015. The large increase in energy efficiency standards for inverter air conditioners is a necessary and hard indicator for achieving this goal.

It can be predicted that after the Spring Festival in 2013, the air-conditioning industry will soon open up a round of product upgrades around inverter air conditioners. Chang Hong, Minister of Air-Conditioning Marketing, explains this energy-efficiency standard for inverter air conditioners: “Each country’s introduction of industrial policies and systems can be seen as an opportunity for companies to step up again, but for small companies and large stock companies. , is a test, it is likely to fail to keep up with the pace of development of the industry."

Increased cost pressures make it more difficult to earn profits In 2012, when the industry encountered Waterloo, the entire air-conditioning industry paid attention to profits to an unprecedented degree. Although the operating performance of various listed companies was not satisfactory, the profitability remained. At a reasonable level.

The adjustments made by the industry in the past year have also shown initial success. Although there are labor shortages such as layoffs and reductions in foreign branch offices during the process, the company’s long-term development has seen the company undergo a year of hardening and hematopoiesis in a difficult environment. Increased capacity. After the worst of 2012, air-conditioning companies in 2013 seemed to have found a way to meet the current industry environment.

However, under the background of the upgrade of the energy efficiency standard for inverter air conditioners, the upgrading of products accompanied by air conditioner manufacturers will inevitably increase the cost pressure. According to industry experts, the cost of air-conditioning energy efficiency increases by a factor of 250 to 300 yuan. If the new standard goes from level 5 to level 3, it means that each cost may increase by about 500 yuan to about 600 yuan. Does not include production line upgrades, terminal layout updates and other costs.

For those air-conditioning companies that have experienced hard times in 2012 and can finally take a sigh of relief, pressure has again come. Zhang Yanbin stressed: "At present, air-conditioning companies are developing product intelligence, network utilization and other aspects of the function, compared to the upgrade of frequency conversion products more urgent. The future of product competition must be the focus of inverter air conditioner."

The survival of small businesses is easy to develop in 2012. Although the industry is struggling, there are still many new brands joining the industry. Their target market is a vast rural area, and products are mainly energy-efficient products with fixed speed. Indeed, under the spring breeze of home appliances to the countryside, the rural market has contributed to expanding the scale of the air-conditioning industry, and it has also become the soil for many small brands to survive. At the end of last year, household appliances went to the countryside after completing the promotion of home appliances in rural areas. With the loss of policy support, the development of enterprises in the rural market must completely rely on their own strength.

Put small brands on the same platform, it is obvious that small brands cannot compete with mainstream brands, no matter whether they are the depth and breadth of channels or the richness of products. After small brands rely on low-priced products to enter the market, how to achieve sustainable development in the future remains to be solved. With the large-scale acquisition of the rural market by mainstream brands in the industry, the pressure of competition for small brands has intensified. In the face of level one and two, small brands are even less well-known in terms of brand awareness and core products. Therefore, Guowen Feng, General Manager of Xinke Air Conditioning, asserted: “The new energy efficiency standard for inverter air conditioners is not a problem for manufacturers with technical capabilities, but for small companies that lack technology, it is very likely that they will be excluded. After 2013, the new division will soon DC inverter air conditioners have been listed to deal with the competition in the industry."

After years of inventory or sales of Tao Jun, Changhong Air Conditioning Marketing Minister, said: "Inventory companies will be difficult to transform."

Inventories are one of the factors hindering the upgrading of inverter products in air conditioners. According to the reporter's telephone survey of dealers, most dealers have indicated that the pressure on stocks has intensified, even if there is no increase in stocks because of conservative operations in the new year.

The industry's frequency conversion products are generally based on the three-level energy efficiency. After the introduction of new standards, this part of the product will become non-energy-saving products, plus the 4th-five-level energy efficiency products, are facing elimination. This is also the goal of the new standards brewing implementation, to promote the transformation of the air-conditioning industry and upgrade the product structure.

Tao Jun said: "Small companies with small stocks have a good chance of turning around." It can be expected that prior to the implementation of the new standard, the existing 4 to 5 energy efficiency inverters will be cleared out, leaving room for products that meet the new energy efficiency standards.

With the introduction of variable-speed air-conditioning energy efficiency standards, the introduction of variable-frequency air-conditioning energy efficiency standards is an occasion when the market share of variable-frequency air-conditioners has been expanding year by year, and the market has gradually matured. With the help of policies to promote product re-upgrades and industry progress, standard upgrades have emerged.