Hong Kong air-conditioner sales, demand for repairs surge as mercury soars, while subdivided flat tenants among hardest hit
- HKTVmall reports 260 per cent jump in air-conditioner sales last month from February
- But Society for Community Organisation warns hot weather brings increased strain on low-income households
Online marketplace HKTVmall said sales of air conditioners had risen by about 30 per cent between May 21 and 27 compared with the week before, while total transactions for the appliance last month soared about 260 per cent from February.
Papabo, a Hong Kong-based platform that connects customers with home repair workers, said the recent heatwave had triggered an influx of job requests related to air conditioners.
Its app received close to 1,000 requests last week during the soaring temperatures, compared with about 500 a week before, according to a company spokesman. More than half were related to air conditioners.
Papabo said 41.6 per cent of the requests were regarding cooling issues caused by clogged filters, insufficient coolant or defective parts, among other problems.
Nearly 27 per cent of customers on the platform said their machines were leaking water, and another 23 per cent reported they needed professional cleaning.
“Without doubt, the heatwave has brought us tremendous growth in job requests related to air conditioners,” the spokesman said.
