Time:2010-03-18 09:24Source:China Quality Miles Author:Chen Aijun
There is a fourth generation of water heaters known as air water heaters, because of energy saving and environmental protection effect than solar water heaters have become the market's new favorites, a large number of companies have to enter the market for gold. But along with the rapid expansion of the market is a muddy, mixed bag of fish and dragons.
Core Tip: There is a "fourth-generation" water heater known as the air water heater, because of energy saving and environmental protection effect over solar water heater has become the market's new favorite, a large number of companies have to enter this market, "gold". But along with the rapid expansion of the market is muddy, mixed. Unlicensed production, "paste foreign brand", false propaganda, technical shortcomings, lack of after-sales service, high prices ...... various problems surfaced. Air water heater market is facing a serious test.
China Quality Miles Magazine
Wen / Figure Huang Yongsheng Zhang Songqiao reporter Chen Aijun
January 6, Guangdong Province, Jiangmen City, the Quality Supervision Bureau Inspection Branch of the fierce fist, focused on air water heater manufacturers for two days of special rectification of law enforcement checks. "Incomplete certification, counterfeiting, false propaganda and so on, has seriously disrupted the air energy water heater market, not to govern can not!" A law enforcement captain said.
The 15th day after the Copenhagen Conference, the sixth day of the New Year, the first clean quality "crackdown" - this is undoubtedly in the air water heater manufacturers in Jiangmen City has caused a lot of vibration. The iconic meaning of a strong crackdown is also seen by many industry players as one of the important wind vane to observe the market in the New Year. "The air water heater market has begun to rectify the movement." Similar statements began to quietly roam the industry.
Air energy water heater, also known as air source heat pump water heater, is the latest generation of high-end water heater products, following the boiler, electric, gas and solar energy, because of energy saving and environmental protection effect more than the solar energy and enjoys the reputation of the "fourth generation" water heater. Its energy consumption is only 1/4 of the traditional electric water heater, gas water heater 1/3, solar water heater 2/3, and because it is not in the structure of the electric heating element in contact with the water, to achieve a complete separation of water and electricity, compared with the traditional electric water heater is more safe and reliable.
In developed countries, the air water heater market has been quite mature, the use of up to 70%. In China, air water heaters have gradually emerged since 2000, growing rapidly.
Market statistics show that in 2002, the annual sales of air water heaters totaled less than 10 million yuan, while in 2009, its annual sales totaled more than 1.5 billion yuan. Although this is less than 1% of the entire water heater market share, but experts expect the market size will exceed 10 billion yuan in five years.
Some people have commented that, like the development speed of the previous few years when the Internet access, the entire industry sales growth rate of air water heaters will be geometric base growth, the market space is very huge.
The huge market space is brought about by the mud, the group of heroes. And until September 1, 2009, the national standards for air water heaters are officially implemented, "the previous standard vacuum decided the air water heater market is bound to experience a strong bout of pain from chaos to rule, air water heater market is facing a serious test," a senior observer analysis.
Phelpson ad: "Save 80%".
The organizational structure of the "American Phelpson".
Law enforcement officers on the scene of Fidelis enforcement.
Huizhou Shuanghe advertised "space energy water heater".
The unlicensed products were sealed according to the law.
"Phelpson" foreign name dispute dark war
January 7, Jiangmen City Quality Supervision Bureau law enforcement officers into the Jiangmen Fidelity New Energy Co. Reporters found in the law enforcement site, Fidelity production line is very simple, the production site even all take manual operation, there is no special laboratory and inspection equipment, at present, simply can not meet the requirements of the national mandatory product 3C certification. Because of suspected unlicensed production, fraudulent use of certification marks, law enforcement officials then transferred all the production and sales records of Fidelity, and on-site seizure of the production line and sealing the site of all products. In another factory, which claims to be "China's largest and most professional heat pump water heater production base" - Phelpson (Jiangmen) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., dozens of different models of products labeled with the certification mark only for a 3C certificate. Coverage is limited to three products.
Industry insiders revealed that due to the low barrier to entry in the heat pump market, even a husband-and-wife team in the air-conditioning maintenance department is converting air energy water heaters. "And air energy water heater to do a model of 3C certification costs up to 25-30,000 yuan, in the face of the market's endless changes in the model specifications, these small businesses simply can not afford to certify the high cost of one by one." Industry insiders told reporters, "like Philpson this only engage in a certificate to cope with the regulatory authorities and consumers, is only a microcosm of the national air water heater market."
According to statistics, at present, the air energy heat pump water heater industry as a whole, there are about 500 enterprises, mainly concentrated in the surrounding areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong, of which there are more than 200 in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and more than 300 in Guangdong. And there are independent brands only the United States, Gree, with the benefit of a few dozen, most of the others are miscellaneous, no independent production capacity, are to take the "fetishism", random DIY (do-it-yourself assembly).
Because product quality is not guaranteed, and even no after-sales service, many manufacturers sell a batch of products can not be found, "they will change a brand". People in the circle laughed at themselves, "A batch of enterprises will fall down in one winter."
China Quality Miles reporter learned in the survey, the most important component of the air water heater is the compressor, but now there are few companies nationwide to break through the technological bottleneck, the high-end core technology is basically mastered by foreign companies, local enterprises in the international industrial value chain is at the low-end position. At present, most of the small and medium-sized enterprises in Guangdong use the compressor mainly from the improvement of air-conditioning compressor products, more than 90% belong to the concept of air-conditioning heat pump hot water products.
So, in the interests of the drive, part of the enterprise cloaked in such as "U.S. brand", "Japanese technology", "Made in Germany" and other foreign skin.
Philpson (Jiangmen) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. website claimed that: since the establishment of the factory more than four years, Philpson continue to expand the sales network, improve and improve after-sales service work in all parts of China have set up branch offices, offices, monopoly chain stores, and in Chile, Australia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and other countries and regions have set up Philpson company; with the national, international and Hong Kong safety! Certification ...... PHELPSON global product output ratio: 45% in the Americas, 30% in Europe, 25% in Asia ......
And the publicity website of Fidelity Electric Appliance (Jiangmen) Ltd. also declares that: PHELPSON PHELPSON ELECTRIC APPLIANCE (ZHONGSHAN) CO. Zhongshan) Co., Ltd. by the United States belonging to the United States Fidelity Group of the United States Phelpson International (Holdings) Limited investment in the construction of the company, with PHELPSON PHELPSON and PHELPSON PHELPSON and a number of other products such as well-known registered trademarks, is a research and development, production of high-tech energy-saving and environmental protection products and household electrical appliances based on the production of enterprises, self-developed and the production of the main products related to domestic and Commercial air central water heater, air central air conditioning hot water dual-use units, LED and other high-tech energy-saving product series ......
The outside world is difficult to understand is that "Phelpson" this foreign name, only because of the full flavor of the world has become a meat and potatoes. Phelpson (Jiangmen) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. used "Phelpson" to do the factory name, and Jiangmen Fidus New Energy Co., Ltd. is the first to register the "Phelpson" trademark. Even for this foreign name, the two companies have launched a "dark war". China Trademark Network query shows, "PHELPSON PHELPSON" trademark application date of December 30, 2004, registration number 4441740, owner of Lai Dai Rong, exclusive use of the period from April 07, 2009 to April 06, 2019; and in April 2006, Jiangmen City PHELPSON New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. also filed an application for the trademark "PHELPSON", which was rejected by the State Trademark Office.
And China Quality Miles reporter confirmed through multiple investigations, whether it is PHELPSON (Jiangmen) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. playing the "U.S. PHELPSON (Hong Kong) International Co. ", are registered in Hong Kong shell company.
According to industry insiders, the registration of a company in Hong Kong, through the agency intermediary company a few thousand dollars to complete the registration. "Ouden flooring" of the previous experience and did not stop the phenomenon of enterprises tending to paste foreign brands.
One power at home in the hot springs?
"One power at home in the hot spring" is the commercial air conditioning equipment of the Guangdong Midea Co.
According to the official website of the United States claimed: the United States launched the energy-saving and comfortable "hot springs" series of air water heater series products, through the consumption of a very small amount of electricity to absorb a large amount of free heat in the air outside of the room, the external air heat energy centralized delivery to the cold water, so that the cold water quickly warmed up and meet the requirements of the family bathroom, changing the traditional gas and electric heating methods. The traditional gas and electric heating method, the generation of heat energy is entirely from the heat of the air exists, truly achieve the goal of energy saving pioneer.
However, the reporter found in the investigation, the United States of America, a 450-watt all-in-one product but added two electric heating rods.
Jiangmen Kai Lixin Technology Co., Ltd. chief engineer Lai Huisheng told reporters that the current market products can not be generalized to distinguish between true and false. Can only be screened by which heating method is the main, a simple air energy heat pump, now called air water heater. A kind of air energy-based, electric heating as a complementary product, can be called electric heating air-assisted water heater; a kind of air energy as a complementary, electric heating-based, can be called air-assisted electric water heater. Pure air water heater can achieve the effect of real energy saving, those electric auxiliary heating products energy-saving effect is worse.
Currently in Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi market most of the products belong to the first category of products; in East China, Central China, most of the market to the second type of products are mainly designed to cope with the cold weather and for the low-temperature areas of the northern market.
But some products on the market, in order to reduce the size, reduce costs, the use of small power compressor, small area heat exchanger, high-power electric auxiliary heating device practice, in this way, energy saving is greatly reduced. The current market so-called "all-in-one" is this case.
Even manufacturers "original" the "space energy water heater" new concept, Huizhou City, double and new energy technology limited company in the publicity of such a description: "space energy water heater in the sun, make full use of the solar energy to heat hot water, in the absence of the sun, the solar energy to heat hot water, in the absence of the solar energy to heat hot water, in the absence of the solar energy to heat hot water. In the absence of the sun, the air source heat pump does its work, absorbing the heat energy in the air to heat the hot water, thus realizing 24 hours a day to provide users with domestic hot water ...... space energy water heater, the national patent, unique."
"Space energy water heater is a businessman's wishful fabrication of a monstrous concept, deliberately fooling consumers!" Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision inspectors told reporters.
More energy efficient or more environmentally friendly?
The biggest advantage of air water heaters is energy saving and environmental protection. Kang Yanbing, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's Energy Conservation Information Dissemination Center, has said that as long as 10 percent of the country's electric water heaters are replaced by air water heaters, 3.3 billion kWh of electricity can be saved in a year, about 1.29 million tons of standard coal.
"Energy saving is evident ****, but all products to do environmental protection can not dare to say!" Industry sources revealed that "and all air-conditioning products, air energy water heater heat pump compressor with the refrigerant (refrigerant) most of the Freon R22, while most of the current air-conditioning products have been changed to the new refrigerant R410A, R134A, R407C, R404, R502, and other alternatives". It is reported that R410A is currently internationally recognized as the most suitable refrigerant used to replace R22, does not destroy the ozone layer, in Europe and the United States, Japan and other countries have been popularized.
China Quality Miles reporter investigation found that many large enterprises on the market have adopted the new refrigerant - especially export products, but there are also many small enterprises still put out signs filled with Freon R22. "Although the national policy has explicitly banned the use of Freon R22, but the market to completely replace it, there is still a process, R410A refrigerant per kilogram than Freon R22 is 80 yuan expensive, the market is not easy to buy. And because the R410A refrigerant storage and transportation requirements are very high, resulting in market promotion is not popular, maintenance is very inconvenient, maintenance costs are higher. Many companies then consider from the perspective of cost savings, continue to use R22," the industry analysts.
But in the fierce market competition, the reporter learned that many powerful enterprises began to consciously play the technology card, play the "environmental" card, the development of water circulation heating system.
"We reject fluorine cycle!" Become the air water heater heat pump market's loudest advertisement. Including Gree, Midea and other businesses have launched water cycle heating products.
"But whether to use the fluorine cycle or the water cycle is really a matter of whether the choice favors more energy-efficient or more environmentally friendly! Both products are about the same price, water circulation heating due to the addition of a pump and inner tube, the cost is slightly higher, and power consumption will be more, because more than a hundred watts of pumps working at the same time. So between more energy efficient or more environmentally friendly? Both can only choose one." Technical experts told reporters.
After-sales service into a weakness
January 5, China Quality Miles reporter came to Jiangmen Women's and Children's Health Hospital interview, coincidentally just happened to coincide with a power outage. "After the power outage, the heat pump unit can not work, the hospital hot water supply has been cut off," the general affairs section chief Lai Jianwen for this is very annoying, "we use the Jiangmen Philpson's air water heater, installed more than a year, the overall operation of the normal, that is, encountered weather changes in the supply of hot water is not stable. "
And the reporter in Guangzhou, a number of colleges and universities survey shows that this is not an exception. "After-sales service has always been the soft underbelly of air water heaters." South China Agricultural University Logistics Department Tan said, the school heat pump system configuration, although perfect, but the stability of the general, cooling on the equipment has a greater impact. For the damaged machine, the school has contacted the manufacturer to repair, but the manufacturer more than not in Guangzhou, the time required for repair is longer, affecting the normal supply of hot water.
In Jiangmen Rui Rong Pump Industry Co., Ltd., Logistics Department, Mr. Tan told reporters that the company installed in 2006, Foshan City, Shunde District, Bili Drinking Water Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. production of air-energy water heaters, the host for the 9.2 pi, the tank capacity of 8 tons, which can be used for more than 100 employees, a total of more than *** spent more than 80,000 yuan. But some time ago, the heat pump unit out of the problem, looking for manufacturers to repair only to find that "Bili company does not have a fixed after-sales service personnel, problems, come to deal with people like fry more (playing casual labor)." Mr. Tan told reporters, "Accessories to have replacement is right! Replacement of old and new products have problems, if because there is no accessories have to change a new machine, you have to spend tens of thousands of dollars, that is not a big loss?"
And Bili manufacturer said this control system product manufacturers have not produced, the control box is also the old version, there are no parts to replace. If you want to change the new version, but also to more than a thousand dollars, change the host is five or six million dollars.
The reporter learned in the China Quality Certification Center, Guangzhou Branch, Bili drinking water equipment manufacturing limited company's heat pump water heater product mandatory certification, due to the manufacturer failed to accept the supervision and inspection within the specified period of time and was suspended. Reporter investigation found that the company to produce drinking water equipment, heat pump water heater for the label assembly products.
No "home appliances to the countryside"
It is understood that in November 2008 the introduction of the European Agreement on Climate Change will be the air source heat pump technology recognized as renewable energy. Air water heaters are widely used in Japan, Australia and other developed countries. However, the one-time investment in air water heaters is slightly higher compared to traditional gas and electric water heaters, and the cheapest one costs more than 4,000 yuan, which restricts its popularity. Industry insiders believe that only the joint promotion of enterprises and the government can solve this problem.
"Because of the excellent energy-saving effect of air energy water heaters, Japan and Europe and the United States have a policy subsidy of 25% of the purchase price." It is reported that Japan is vigorously promoting the popularization of heat pump water heaters in the home, in its "gas-free home" plan, the heat pump water heaters in 2007, the home penetration rate of 10% of this figure to more than 80%; while in Australia, electric water heaters are being mandatory phase-out.
China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute, vice president of the National Household Electrical Appliances Standardization Technical Committee Secretariat Secretary General Ma Dejun predicted: the country will also introduce implementation rules, included in the energy-saving emission reduction product catalog of air water heaters and other products, may be given financial assistance.
But China Quality Miles reporter checked the Ministry of Commerce home appliances to the countryside network on December 31, 2009 announced the catalog of home appliances to the countryside found that the most "energy-saving and environmentally friendly" air water heaters ultimately do not have the opportunity to "home appliances to the countryside".
"The price is high is the main reason, according to an average of 4,000 yuan / unit calculation, even if the state financial subsidies 13%, farmers to buy up will also be very difficult." The industry veteran revealed, "This is why despite the annual sales of air energy water heaters totaling more than 1.5 billion yuan, it is less than 1% of the overall water heater market share."
This person believes that the reason for this embarrassing situation, one is that many manufacturers of air heat pump water heater as the last piece of cake in the home appliance industry, in the product factory pricing to profiteer; the second is that the cost of goods sold and sales profits are too high, the entire production and marketing chain layer by layer doubling the code, resulting in the cost of manufacturing and the end of the selling price of the proportion of a serious imbalance or even deformity.