issue: March 2005 APPLIANCE Magazine Tokyo Report 2004 Japanese Air-Conditioner Shipments	Share  Printable format  Email this Article  Search
By Wasaku Ishida, Japanese correspondent, APPLIANCE magazine, and vice president, JARN (Japan Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News) The Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association (JRAIA) announced domestic shipments during Refrigeration Year (RY) 2004 (October 2003 to September 2004).

JRAIA reported domestic shipments of room air-conditioners (RACs) in Refrigeration Year (RY) 2004 (October 2003 to September 2004) totaling 6,723,072 units, down 0.8 percent from RY2003.

Heat-pump units showed a 0.7-percent drop. Cooling-only types experienced a 6.2-percent drop. In the Japanese market, heat-pump units occupied 98.7 percent of the total RAC shipments, leaving the number of cooling-only units practically negligible.

Domestic shipments of packaged air-conditioners (PACs) in RY2004 totaled 731,795 units, up 11 percent over RY2003. Heat-pump units occupied 92.2 percent of the total, and cooling-only units accounted for the remaining 7.8 percent. In the PAC segment, the share of heat-pump type units has also increased in recent years.

Domestic shipments of ice thermal storage PACs in RY2004 numbered 6,915 units, down 11 percent from RY2003. Gas-engine driven heat pumps (GHPs) accounted for 39,703 units, down 4.4 percent.

Domestic shipments of positive displacement chillers numbered 8,878 units, up 3.2 percent over RY2003. Water-cooled cooling-only units showed a 6.6-percent rise, while air-cooled cooling-only units experienced a 7.2-percent increase. In heat-pump units, air-cooled models showed an 8.2-percent drop.