The ducted air conditioning market is projected to grow at a CAGR of about 6% owing to increasing awareness and requirement for energy efficiency. Regulatory norms in various countries have necessitated the manufacture of energy efficient systems and innovation in the traditional systems. These energy efficient systems help domestic and industrial consumers as reduction in energy ratings bring down their electricity bills.
Enhanced product development coupled with technological proliferation is expected to have a positive impact on the industry growth. Consumer’s living standards in emerging countries are improving and so is their infrastructure spending. Adverse weather conditions in the Asia-Pacific region and increase in disposable income of consumers is expected to spur the industry growth in the near future. Ducted air conditioners provide with climate control solutions for whole office or home. These air conditioners have central temperature and zone control with set and forget timers that provides for easy control. Each room’s temperature can be adjusted accordingly. Its feature of providing even air distribution in whole house and office is anticipated to drive the market over the forecast period. Consumer’s focusing on aesthetics of their house or office prefers these air conditioner units as only ceiling or floor mounted grills are visible inside the area. Increasing use of these air conditioners in offices owing to their various cabinets and requirement of different temperature control for each cabinet is to have a positive impact on the industry growth.
High installation for domestic purposes in developed countries such as Europe and U.S. owing to the policy of some companies to allow ‘work from home’ and more of day care centers is to boost the market over the forecast period. Furthermore, regions with high humidity in all seasons require air conditioning at all time. Also, air conditioning helps in removal of dust and micro-organisms that keep the air clean and in turn have a positive impact on the market growth. The feature of air conditioner to keep room warm in winters as well is to boost the market over the forecast period. It has been found by some researchers that in comfort conditions the working efficiency and concentration of individual increases and thus accelerate the market growth in the long run. In addition, ducted air conditioners are considered to be quietest among all the air conditioning options. This may accelerate the market growth over the forecast period.
Ducted air conditioners allow for central heating and cooling systems for large homes which is to drive the industry growth over the forecast period. It also helps to reduce the energy bills as heating pumps in air conditioners consume 80% less power than other heating devices. However, the use of refrigerants in air conditioning systems that leads to global warming is to pose challenge to market growth. Also, high chances of mechanical failure and high maintenance cost is to hamper the market growth over the forecast period.
The market can be segmented on the basis of product type and application. The types of ducted air conditioners available in the market are DC inverter ducted systems, single phase, three phase premium and digital, and inverter cassette systems. DC inverter ducted systems allows a room to reach the required temperature more rapidly and up to 30% more efficiently. It also eliminates frequent starting and stopping often required by standard systems in order to maintain consistent temperature conditions. Single phase air conditioning systems perform for temperature variations between 52oC to -5oC. These are ideal for regions where temperature is very high or very low, or both. Three phase air conditioning systems are equipped with high efficiency temperzone premium and digital scroll designs. They contain non-ozone depleting refrigerant therefore has lower impact on environment. DC inverter cassette works effectively with air flow in all four directions and has to the ability to remove condensation. On the basis of application, these ducted systems are used in office, home and hotels. Increasing number of offices and hotels in many regions is to spur the market growth in the long run.
Asia Pacific air conditioner market dominated the region in the near past especially the emerging countries such as India and China owing to increasing disposable income and improving lifestyle in the region. This demand is followed by the demand of AC in Europe region on account of regulatory norms to reduce energy consumption and replacement of traditional systems. Also, the government is focusing on construction of green buildings. Japanese market players are investing in HVAC, green lighting and BAS systems to reduce energy costs and carbon footprint which in turn will increase demand for AC in Japan.
Major players in the market are Panasonic, Hitachi Ltd., Electrolux AB, Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd., Harp Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Lennox, Watsco, Inc, Carrier Corporation, Watso, LG Electronics, Blue Star Limited and Videocon. These companies are trying to expand their geographical presence and are focusing on having distribution network to cater customer needs.
In January 2015, Hitachi Ltd. and Johnson Controls had announced a joint venture to strengthen India’s air conditioning business.
