[China: World Residence Tour] Different air conditioner choices for different spaces and regions

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Air conditioners are an indispensable item in the humid Japanese climate. Consumer preferences for air conditioners vary depending on the environment and lifestyle of the region. In China, each region has its own preferences. In this article, I will introduce these characteristics.

Floor-mounted air conditioners are also used in homes.

In Japan, the term "home air conditioner" almost always refers to a wall-mounted air conditioner (although cassette-type air conditioners are also found in some high-end homes). Floor-mounted air conditioners are more for commercial use. However, in China, not only wall-mounted air conditioners, but also floor-mounted air conditioners are used for general home use.

Wall-mounted air conditioners are widely used and are installed in bedrooms and living rooms. On the other hand, floor-mounted models are basically installed in living rooms. Compared to wall-mounted air conditioners, floor-mounted air conditioners, while occupying more floor space, are structurally capable of blowing air more horizontally and have a higher air volume than a typical wall-mounted air conditioner, which helps to lower the room temperature more quickly. For this reason, there are quite a few cases of floor-mounted air conditioners being used in living rooms with large areas and in homes where families spend a lot of time together in the living room.

Another difference from Japan is the placement of the outdoor unit. As I explained in the 4th column, in Japan, outdoor units are usually placed on the balcony, but in China, they are often placed on the outside wall, no matter how high the apartment is.

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Outdoor unit attached to an exterior wall
（Source: Lifestyle database Consumer Life Panorama）
（For an overview of Consumer Life Panorama here）

Air conditioning situations differ greatly between the north and south.

Due to the large land area of China, there is a large temperature difference between the north and the south. As a result, there are differences in the needs for air conditioners in different regions.

First of all, in the north, especially in the northeast, air conditioners are still not as popular as in the south. But that doesn't mean that they can't afford air conditioners for economic reasons. As a matter of fact, in the northern part of China, there is an centralized heating season that starts roughly in November every year. This centralized heating is a system in which the government, through a specialized company, provides a centralized heat supply using heating pipes installed in each home. As a result, although it is cold outside in the winter, the room temperature is basically maintained above 16 degrees Celsius. Also, due to the fact that summers are relatively cool, air conditioners have not been so prevalent. However, in recent years, due to global warming, summers have become hotter even in the northeastern region, and more and more households are gradually purchasing air conditioners.

On the other hand, in the South China region, especially in Guangdong Province and other areas known as the Lingnan region, the summers are hot and humid, but the winters, on the contrary, are not so cold. Therefore, in such regions, it is common to employ air conditioners with only the cooling function for the muggy summer heat, since the winter can be tolerated without the use of air conditioners. However, there are signs that air conditioners with heating functions are also being bought, as the abnormal weather conditions in recent years have caused the temperature to occasionally drop below 5 degrees Celsius even in Guangdong.

As mentioned above, it can be seen that the needs for air conditioners vary considerably from region to region in China. However, a new change in recent years has been the increase in abnormal weather conditions, which has had a new impact on the differences between regions.

【What is Consumer Life Panorama?】

Intage's web-based database of real consumer lifestyles in Japan and overseas.
The database can be used to intuitively understand the daily flow of life, living environment, and digital life.
To view the Consumer Life Panorama demo site here.
For an overview of Consumer Life Panorama here.

Translated with AI Translator

Author profile

(Mr.) Yang Yan

A Chinese researcher living in Japan, providing information on the living conditions of overseas consumers, mainly of Chinese consumers. This winter has been quite warm, so my use of heating was surprisingly not high.
Editor profile

(Mr.) Yusuke Tatsuda

Responsible for building the Global Market Surfer website.　It is common for parents in Southeast Asia to install air conditioners in their children's bedrooms. I recently heard from my parents that they had purchased their first air conditioner when I was born, which makes me feel their parental love for me.

May 28, 2021
6070 Views

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