GE Stays Cool under Pressure, Keeping up with Air Conditioner Demand during one of the Hottest Summers on Record

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In one of the warmest years on record in the United States, and the hottest year on record globally, appliance manufacturers have had to break a sweat to meet soaring demand for room air conditioners (RAC).

“We have had the greatest air conditioner sales year in our history”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that the average global land and ocean surface temperature is the highest on record for the first half of 2010.¹ Keeping records for the past 130 years, the NOAA has data that indicates a much warmer than normal second quarter – and month of June – for most of the United States:

April through June has been warmer than usual for every state east of the Mississippi;
Four New England states have had the hottest first half of the year on record;
The southeast, south and central states have experienced the second, fifth and seventh hottest June on record, respectively;²

The month of June was the second warmest on record for the United States in 50 years.³Data from Planalytics cited in Time Magazine show that sales of air conditioners in June 2010 were up 30 percent over the same period last year due to the heat (RAC sales are right up there with sales of pool chemicals, bottled water and swimwear).⁴ Older cities in the northeast, which were built before central air conditioning became so prevalent, have felt a particular impact from the heat.

“The air conditioner business for us has been phenomenal this year,” said Gregg Richard, president, P.C. Richard & Son, a major appliance retailer with 63 stores in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “In the New York City area, we experienced the second hottest July on record*, with 16 days above 90 degrees** – compared to zero days above 90 degrees in July 2009. This has led to an increase in both AC and refrigeration sales. GE, being our most important supplier, has been able to keep appliance deliveries on time, helping us to increase our orders by always keeping us stocked. They’ve really helped us, and our customers, beat the heat.”

Retailers in the southern parts of the United States are also feeling a pinch in the sweltering summer heat.

“We have had the greatest air conditioner sales year in our history,” said Randy Johnson, senior vice president of merchandising, BrandsMart USA, a major appliance and consumer electronics retailer with 10 stores in Florida and Georgia. “We broke a record May, June and July. We normally have one great month out of those three. GE kept us stocked, so we could meet our customers’ needs. They really came through for me.”

With such high temperatures, the efficiency of air conditioners has become increasingly important to consumers. In fact, the sales of GE’s ENERGY STAR®-qualified RAC units will reach a record high in 2010.

GE, a leading brand of window air conditioners in the U.S., supplies the market with an abundance of high-efficiency options as demand for energy-saving technology grows. GE’s ENERGY STAR®-qualified RACs are equipped with high-efficiency compressors, fan motors, and heat transfer surfaces to help reduce consumption and utility costs. These ENERGY STAR® models use 10 percent less energy than conventional models and will even shut down completely once the room has reached the desired temperature.

“Meeting demand for RACs, particularly ENERGY STAR® models, has been more important than ever in this sweltering heat,” said Jim Benz, marketing manager, air conditioners, GE Appliances & Lighting. “GE’s nationwide on-time delivery network, as well as its expertise and flexibility in supplying room air conditioners, has played a major role in keeping our customers cool this summer.”

GE Appliances & Lighting supplies air conditioning products to the residential, property management and lodging markets. For more information on GE air conditioners and where they’re sold, visit www.geappliances.com.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or check out our website for more information.
Friend GE Appliances on Facebook to view how-to videos, learn about new GE appliances and join in the discussion with other GE appliance owners. Join today and follow @GE_Appliances on Twitter or just locate detailed information about our products at www.geappliances.com.

About GE - Appliances & Lighting
GE - Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use, GE Appliances & Lighting uses innovative technologies and ecomaginationSM, a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort and convenience. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

For high res, downloadable photography, visit http://www.gecipressroom.com.

References
1. www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100715_globalstats.html: Last month's combined global land and ocean surface temperature made it the warmest June on record and the warmest on record averaged for any April-June and January-June periods, according to NOAA.
2. www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/?report=national
3. www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2002503,00.html
4. www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2002503,00.html

Sources:
*Second hottest July on record: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/nyregion/02heat.html
**Central Park’s Weather Station: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/hottest_july_in_a_decade_sets.html

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6409652&lang=en