TUNIS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- As an exceptional heatwave sweeps across Tunisia, with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius in several regions, Chinese air conditioners (ACs) are becoming increasingly popular among Tunisian consumers thanks to their reliability, strong performance and competitive prices.
As demand for cooling equipment surges, the number of ACs in the country has reached about 2.7 million units, with more than half of Tunisian households now equipped with at least one air conditioner, according to Abdelkader Bekouche, director of energy efficiency in the building sector at Tunisia's National Agency for Energy Conservation.
In a bustling cafe in the southern suburb of Tunis, owner Lotfi Slama relies on two Gree ACs to keep customers comfortable throughout the scorching summer season.
"Under these weather conditions, having a high-performance AC has become essential," Slama told Xinhua. He said his Chinese-made units have operated reliably for five years with only routine annual maintenance. "They are efficient, durable and offer excellent value for money."
Consumers are also paying increasing attention to energy efficiency. In Ariana, a northern suburb of Tunis, first-time homeowner Amira Sadfi recently installed a Midea inverter AC to cope with persistent summer heat.
"When the AC runs for 14 hours a day, the electricity bill becomes the biggest concern," Sadfi said. "The Chinese inverter model has kept our electricity costs noticeably lower than expected while maintaining a stable indoor temperature."
The growing consumer confidence is reflected in sales. Ahmed Ayachi, a home appliance retailer in central Tunis, said three out of every five customers entering his shop specifically ask for Chinese brands because of their competitive prices, readily available spare parts and reliable after-sales service.
Industry sources estimate that Chinese brands now account for the majority of air conditioner sales in Tunisia across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
At major home appliance retailers across the Tunisian capital, Chinese brands such as Gree, Hisense and Midea occupy prominent showroom space.
Xu Huiming, product line director of AC at Hisense's North Africa Office, said the company currently offers eight AC models in the Tunisian market, all equipped with both cooling and heating functions.
"Given the exceptionally high temperatures recorded across North Africa this summer, we expect our AC sales to increase by around 50 percent compared with last year," Xu said.
Industry experts also attribute the growing popularity of Chinese brands to their ability to adapt to local operating conditions.
Mahdi Youssef, a senior thermal systems engineer based in Tunis, said North Africa's hot climate and unstable power supply require equipment capable of operating under demanding conditions.
According to Youssef, a standard 12,000-BTU Chinese inverter air conditioner typically costs 1,500-1,750 Tunisian dinars (508-593 U.S. dollars) less than comparable European or other Asian models, while reducing electricity consumption through inverter technology and supporting wide-voltage operation. ■