China's EU Air Conditioner Exports Rise 43.2% to $3.76 Billion in H1 2026

In the first half of 2026, China's air conditioner exports to the European Union reached $3.76 billion, up 43.2% year-on-year, a record for the period. Persistent heatwaves across Europe, where air conditioning penetration was only 20%, have driven demand for cooling. However, restrictions on retrofitting old buildings and high installation costs have limited adoption. These factors have created opportunities for Chinese air conditioner makers that have focused on localized customization.

To address the pain points of European old buildings that prohibit drilling and the high mobility of renters, several Chinese air conditioner companies have launched customized products. Midea introduced the PortaSplit mobile split air conditioner, which requires no wall drilling and is plug-and-play, sold in Germany, France, the Netherlands, the UK, and other countries. As of June 2026, shipments of this product exceeded 200,000 units, double its full-year 2025 sales, with new orders exceeding 160,000 units at the end of June. The units are being produced in batches at Midea's Guangzhou factory and shipped progressively. Haier launched the Expert series high-end wall-mounted air conditioners, featuring a single-screw modular design that simplifies installation and maintenance, reducing installation time. Its Pearl Premium series air conditioners all meet EU A+++ energy efficiency standards. In the first half of 2026, Haier's air conditioner sales in Europe continued to grow, with June sales in Western European countries such as France, the UK, and Germany up nearly 140%. Recently, the 17th arrondissement of Paris purchased a batch of Haier air conditioners for schools in its district to alleviate heat in classrooms.

Global warming has expanded air conditioner export volumes. China's annual air conditioner exports grew from 62.078 million units in 2020 to 82.295 million units in 2025. China accounts for over 80% of global air conditioner production capacity and 90% of core compressor component capacity, with a mature supply chain from core components to finished units. At Haier's Jiaozhou interconnected factory, 90% of products are supplied to overseas markets. Using an adaptive scheduling system for overseas orders, order delivery time has been shortened by 19%. By integrating service big data and AI models, the overseas market failure rate has been reduced by 28%. Compared with 2021, Chinese household air conditioner manufacturers added 11.82 million units of overseas production capacity in 2025, accounting for 62.5% of all new air conditioner capacity in overseas markets.

The global layout of logistics and channel systems has further opened the export pathway for air conditioners. Relying on the stable capacity of China-Europe freight trains, domestic air conditioners can reach European markets in 15 to 25 days, nearly 25 days shorter than traditional sea freight. Air conditioner companies have also established a presence in European offline supermarkets, professional HVAC channels, and online e-commerce platforms, building a complete chain from production, logistics, sales, delivery, and after-sales service. In the first half of 2026, China's home appliance exports reached RMB 360.96 billion, with 'cooling' appliances such as air conditioners, fans, and refrigerators totaling RMB 107.91 billion. Among exported home appliances in the first half, self-owned brands accounted for a quarter, with exports of self-owned brand appliances up 21.2% year-on-year.

Amid the global green and low-carbon transition, the substitution of environmentally friendly refrigerants has become a focus for the air conditioning industry. The EU has gradually reduced the supply of high-GWP refrigerants through a quota system, banning refrigerants with GWP ≥ 750 for household air conditioners from 2025, pushing the industry toward eco-friendly refrigerants such as R290. Meizhi has sold over 20 million R290 compressors cumulatively, with customers covering major air conditioner, heat pump, and refrigerator brands at home and abroad. Orders for R290 compressors from the European market have doubled. The company began developing R290 compressors in 2004 and signed the UN's first R290 compressor demonstration line in 2011. Its pioneering 1.5HP single-cylinder inverter R290 compressor, with advantages of high energy efficiency, low noise, and high reliability, has facilitated the rapid expansion of R290 household air conditioner compressors.