Cooling-system sales soar amid heatwave, blackouts
‘We ran out, and the few we get are snapped up’ – retailer
Sales of cooling systems have surged by up to 30 per cent during the heatwave and power cuts that have swept the island, retailers specialising in appliances and electronics have estimated. The demand for battery- and solar-operated fans has gone through the roof as people have endured a record-breaking number of days without electricity in crippling 42ºC heat.
Scan, a major technology and electronics store, said sales of battery-operated fans had “exploded” even before the heatwave and ensuing blackouts. The retail company estimates it has sold almost three times as many as last year.
In the last 15 days, it sold 350 units of one particular model alone, and in the last month, it sold around 600 units “and climbing” of another three types. “We stocked up on more than we had in the past, but it was still not enough. If we had more stock, we would have sold more,” Scan said about the high demand. “We ran out and the few we get are snapped up.”
Scan also calculated it sold three times as many portable air conditioners as it had the previous month.
Going forward, it envisaged customers would be looking for backup in the form of house power stations designed to store electricity and power household devices during a blackout or outdoor activities.
Appliances, such as fridges, could be attached to these portable power stations that were based on the same concept as UPS, and the company said it was stocking up on them. While this was not new technology, used often for health issues, neither was it commonly sought after, Scan said.
We stocked up on more than we had in the past, but it was still not enough. If we had more stock, we would have sold more- Scan
More convenient fan models, with replaceable batteries, were also lined up. While, again, this was not necessarily new technology, for many customers, it was the way forward as a replacement battery meant an extended lifespan and required just swapping the charged spare.
KHS hardware stores in Żabbar also said it had sold more fans since the start of the heatwave, and with the recent power cuts, the demand for rechargeable fans and generators had surged.
“I would say that in recent weeks, we had a 25 to 30 per cent increase in quantities of fans sold,” the hardware store said.
Top Choice, which retails appliances, electronics and personal-care gadgets, also said it had experienced a 20 to 30 per cent increase in cooling products up from last year, and was down to its last few fans that did not depend on electricity.
It had only increased supplies minimally this year, unable to predict what would happen, the company said.
'No electricity, no fans!'
While a small number of battery-operated fans was on the way, stocks were in short supply from overseas too, and the August shutdowns meant it would be hard to replenish.
The ACs at Top Choice were also practically sold out, and with a three-week wait for installation, consumers who left their purchases to the last minute were in a panic and were resorting to the portable version.
“In the heatwave, customers want an AC fast,” Top Choice said.
AC sales “easily increased by 15 to 20 per cent”, said Panta’s air-conditioning division manager, Ian Demicoli, with summer starting early, the heat cranking up to red alert over the last week and power cuts exacerbating the desperate situation.
Demicoli explained that these were compounded by the over- and under-voltage relay installed in households to protect appliances from damage. Continuously monitoring electrical voltage levels, it triggered a circuit breaker to disconnect the power if the voltage dropped too low or spiked too high.
This protection device, he said, also led to intermittent power cuts once the relay detected a low voltage, which has been the case due to the high demand in the peak of the tourism season.
The electricity returns, but drops out again due to the low voltage, he said, explaining that the relay was just doing its job to protect from damage.
Asked about potential increases in sales of fans and generators, one village hardware store did not see the point, saying curtly: “No electricity; no fans!”