Heat drives rush for ACs, fans

As Barbados braces for intense heat in August, retailers are reporting stronger demand for fans and air conditioning units from households and businesses.

Earlier this month the Barbados Meteorological Services (BMS) urged Barbadians to prepare for an unusually hot and dry remainder of the wet season with forecasters warning that August and September are expected to bring the year’s most intense heat while rainfall is likely to remain below normal.

Marketing officer at Kooyman, Arlene Floro, said, “For the year so far, we have seen an increase in our air conditioning units and our fans . . . . We [also] get quite a number of businesses like apartments and Airbnbs coming in.”

She said customers began purchasing air conditioning (AC) units as early as April, with sales increasing as the months progressed.

Floro added that the Alaska inverter air conditioning unit had become one of the company’s most popular models, while the Arctic brand also attracted customer interest.

She added that Kooyman also had a new range of fans.

Coast to Coast Cooling owner founder Johnathan Gonsalves said his company only recorded a slight increase in air conditioning unit sales compared with the same period last year.

He noted that businesses continue to account for a significant share of sales, with the company carrying out more commercial installations than residential projects, alongside work generated by ongoing construction.

Gonsalves also observed a shift in consumer buying habits, with more homeowners opting to install air conditioning units in living rooms and other spaces rather than just the bedroom.

While the company has not experienced shortages of air conditioning units, he said significantly higher freight costs have increased the cost of importation, with higher shipping expenses ultimately affecting retail prices.

“It is a trickledown effect. We are starting to see the increase in freight costs again. I would have gotten some rates a few days ago from the Far East and they have doubled since January. Once those rates increase, you tend to see more things increase. Freight is one cost but when it comes here now there is a duty attached to the freight,” he said.

He said that inverter air conditioning units remained the most popular choice among customers because of their energy efficiency.

Gonsalves encouraged customers to purchase their air conditioning units from companies that provide replacement parts, noting that many people buy AC units from overseas to sell.

“Everybody is bringing in AC’s now. It is important for purchasers when they’re buying to make sure that the people that are selling or they’re buying from are the companies they can actually get the parts for them,” he said.

Sales representative at Pro Sales, Shem Tudor, said the Pinfold Street, St Michael business continued to experience brisk sales, with handheld fans proving especially popular during the Crop Over season.

“The ladies coming for the fans for J’ouvert and garden parties. We sell a lot of fans during this time because there are a lot of events.”

Tudor said standing household fans were also among top sellers.

Compared with last year, he said sales have picked up significantly and he expects good sales to continue into the back-to-school period. (AJ)

The post Heat drives rush for ACs, fans appeared first on nationnews.com.