NE China heatwave sees record air-conditioning sales

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Record temperatures in northeast China have seen sales of air-conditioning units skyrocket, with hundreds of workers dispatched to the region to meet demand amid sweltering heat.

According to sales data from GOME, one of the country’s biggest electrical appliance retailers, sales of A/C units in Liaoning Province’s Shenyang have recently increased by 3,545.4 percent year-on-year.

Across the three northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, GOME’s sales data show a year-on-year jump of 1,726 percent.

Shenyang is currently facing its hottest heatwave in almost seventy years, with temperatures staying above 35 degrees Celsius for more than seven consecutive days last week.

The city’s residents typically face average highs of 28 degrees Celsius in August, and lows of -17 degrees in January, meaning many households have previously viewed air-conditioning as unnecessary.

But demand this summer has been particularly high, with GOME and fellow supplier Suning temporarily moving hundreds of workers to the northeast to install air-conditioning units and meet demand.

GOME has moved around 200 workers to the region since July 28, with plans to move on 300 others to help with installation work. According to Beijing Youth Daily, demand for air-conditioning installation is so high that workers can earn as much as 20,000 yuan (2,920 US dollars) each month.

While air-conditioning units are being bought in order to fend off the heat, there are growing concerns over the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

A recent report warned that the North China Plain region could see repeated spells of extreme heat in the near future because of climate change, with Zhang Li, a professor at the Institute of Ecology under Beijing Normal University, telling CGTN people should minimize their use of air-conditioning and avoid using very low temperatures.

CGTN reported earlier this year that India – one of the major users of air-conditioning alongside China – would move to apply a default setting of 24 degrees Celsius on all air-conditioning units, in a bid to offset emissions and reduce electricity consumption.

(Top image: A man tries to keep cool in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, as temperatures soar to 38.4 degrees Celsius, August 2, 2018. /VCG Photo)