HVAC: Price remains the main criteria for purchasing

The local industry of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment has stabilized in 2012 at the level of the previous year and substantial changes in the field are not expected in the current year either. It must be noted that the value of the internal HVAC systems market is very difficult to estimate, given the complexity of the specific segment and the relatively high number of importers and distributors whose turnovers often include various types of equipment. According to most competitors in the field, the local sector of central heating for apartments lies around 140.000 units sold in 2012, corresponding to a value between 75 and 100 million EUR. About 80% of the central heating units sold last year were new systems, while the remaining 20% represented purchases made in order to replace the existing ones, installed over a decade ago. This trend will be seen as well in the next interval. The price will still remain the main acquisition criteria for HVAC equipment in Romania, especially concerning the first system installed in a home. However, prudent customers are aware of the importance of the quality of a central heating system. From the structural point of view, the specialized operators noted an increase of about 30% on the segment of condensing central heating systems and a decrease of about 5% for the conventional ones. "Currently, about 10% of the gas central heating market in Romania is composed of condensing heating equipments, the difference being made up by conventional central heating systems", said Cătălin Drăguleanu, sales director of Ariston Thermo Romania, one of the leaders of the local profile sector. Thus, an increasing trend of deliveries will be recorded by the segment of equipment which uses renewable energy, not only due to the interest of society in promoting them, but also due to the possible continuation of the "Casa Verde" program. However, there is a risk that the government project will be blocked in this year, if financing solutions cannot be identified. Rovana Plumb, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said at the end of a Government meeting in February 2013 that the "Casa Verde" programme, concerning the installation of heating systems which use renewable energy, is uncertain during the current year. For further information and a detailed analysis of the current Agenda Constructiilor issue, click here!