Energy-saving home appliances promising
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-06-21 10:45

"Does it save energy?" With more and more consumers asking the question when buying electrical home appliances, China is witnessing an upsurge in the industry and people's willingness to embrace gadgets that save more energy.

"Almost all products we sell have a label of 'energy efficient' ", said Shi Ming, general manager of Dazhong, a local chain electrical household appliances shopping center.

With 24 provincial areas imposing power brownouts in the past few months, China's severe electricity shortage has pushed the country to search for solution.

Shrewd businesses like local brand names Haier, Hisense and Kelon as well as joint ventures of Electrolux and Siemens have started to promote their electrical appliances, like air conditioners and fridges, with one logo standing out: saving energy.

Some 41.2 billion kwh of electricity would, analysts say, be saved if the 130 million fridges in Chinese families were replaced with those that boasted a low energy consumption level as fridges and air conditioners account for 85 percent of electricity used by an urban household.

"Saving energy will become an invariable topic for China's electrical home appliance industry, which, after advocating the concepts of environmental protection and human health-friendly in the past two years, enters the year of energy conservancy," said Chen Gang, deputy secretary-general of the China Electrical Household Appliances Association.

China's annual power consumption from air conditioners has, he said, exceeded 40 billion kwh, while the energy-performance ratio of most air conditioners is around 2.6 to 3.2, far below the average level of developed countries.

However, market analysts say electrical home appliances that save energy still have to undergo the market test as they cost on average several hundred yuan more than common types.

"We have to wait until people become more mature in their consumption mindset," said Liu Weixiang, director of Kelon's public relations department.

"Chinese consumers have yet to form a correct cost awareness and habit of energy saving instead of paying too much attention to the expense of buying an electrical appliance."

Still, a large number of fridges that have been in use for a long period are in service, he said, adding that more time is needed to popularize the use of energy-saving fridges.

"It's important for the government to push for 'three educations'," said Chen Gang, "that is, to educate manufacturers to produce products that save more energy, distributors to sell more such products and consumers to buy such products."

"The time of energy-saving electrical home appliances will come if the whole society is geared up for the cause," he said.

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