ISKID, The Turkish Air Conditioning Industry Association, has announced the 2022 Turkey HVAC Sector Report. The annual statistics collected by ISKID were evaluated this year with the participation of 72 real companies, and the results were shared with contributing firms on March 11, 2023. The statistics, which cover approximately 29 product groups, were used to analyze developments in important products and to create comments about the state of the sector and potential improvements.
ISKID shares the complete report of the statistics with companies that provide data and offers data for each product group for a fee from the ISKID Association.
In the report announced by ISKID Chairman Ayk Serdar DIDONYAN, it was stated that Turkey is a production hub in Europe and demand for A++ energy class and inverter compressor split air conditioner products, which are significant product groups of the sector and provide up to 40% energy savings, has significantly increased. DIDONYAN said, "Strong manufacturer and distributor firms are responding to increasing consumer expectations of service quality. The EU accession process is also significantly accelerating technological developments in the sector, particularly in terms of the environment and energy efficiency."
According to the statistical results, there was a 20% increase in split air conditioning production compared to the previous year, a 2% increase in domestic sales, and a 20% increase in exports. However, when considering five-year data, there was a 130% increase in split air conditioning production, a 35% increase in domestic sales, and a 260% increase in exports. Ayk Serdar DIDONYAN, who evaluated this growth rate and the domestic market, said, "Last year, there was a slight increase in domestic sales due to sudden price increases, a relatively cool summer, and a decrease in economic purchasing power. This situation can be interpreted as the domestic market reaching a certain saturation point. We should not expect significant growth for 2023. However, the export development of Turkish firms is also reflected in the split air conditioning sector, and we observe that manufacturing is increasing for exports."
Another significant product group, the VRF/VRV/VRS market size, saw a 15% increase in the domestic market and a 150% increase in exports compared to the previous year. DIDONYAN said, "When we evaluate the data, the Turkish VRF market continues to grow in the domestic market with an increasing number of active sales companies. However, the actual growth is on the export side. This situation is due to many neighboring countries giving sales rights to Turkish firms and the growth of the market in these countries. We can give an example of Turkish contractor firms increasing their activities and product supply from Turkey in the Turkish Republics and other countries. Another factor is that newly established local manufacturers' primary target market is abroad, which increases export figures. We are grateful to investors who enable the growth of the sector with new investments."
In Rooftop Air Conditioner Units, due to its widespread use in investment in the construction sector, shopping centers, and large supermarkets in 2022, there was a 30% increase in production and a 50% increase in the market compared to the previous year. It was observed that the market in this group shifted towards Turkish-made products. A pleasing development in the Rooftop Air Conditioner product group was the increase in exports every year. While export figures increased by 12% compared to the previous year, this increase was recorded as 108% in the last 5 years. It was determined that as the number of firms producing Rooftop Air Conditioner Units domestically in Türkiye increased, the domestic market continued to grow. However, the biggest change in this product group was recorded as a shift from an import-oriented structure to a manufacturing-oriented structure within the last 5 years, and imports have become minimal. It was emphasized that with the increase in the number of manufacturers, Türkiye has become a significant supplier, especially in the Middle East region, and that the market will continue to grow.
According to ISKID sector statistics, while there was a 43% increase in the production of Fancoil devices mainly used in public buildings compared to the previous year, a 20% increase was observed in domestic sales. Although the Fancoil device market cannot reach its level five years ago, it was stated that the positive effect of the revitalization of public investments that stagnated during the pandemic has begun to affect the market's growth. When the export figures are based on the last 5 years, a 40% increase was observed.
Although there has been a 14% decrease compared to the previous year and a 22% decrease in the last 5 years in the Air Handling Unit market, there has been a 12% increase in production and a 57% increase in export figures when the last 5 years are evaluated. The domestic market for Air Handling Unit has shrunk due to the decrease in public investments. It is shared that the widespread use of alternative solutions such as Rooftop Air Conditioner in some Rooftop applications may be one of the reasons for this contraction. However, it was evaluated that the increase in production in the last 5 years was due to the increase in exports in this group.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in Heat Pumps in our country, especially in the air source (Air-to-Water) product group. However, it was emphasized that this increase was not at the desired level. Imports in this product group increased by 140% in the last 5 years. Domestic sales reached 200%. However, it was found that there are not enough producers in the Heat Pumps product group.
In Europe, the importance of heat pumps has increased significantly in recent years due to the measures taken within the scope of the European Green Deal to achieve a neutral continent goal by 2050, efforts to reduce external dependency in energy supply, and incentives provided. According to EHPA data, a record was broken in 2022 with the sale of 3 million heat pumps (including air-to-air heat pumps).
In Türkiye, although there has been an increase in sales of air-to-water residental heat pumps in the last 5 years (about 63%), it is seen that the heat pump market has not grown as fast and as desired as in Europe due to the pandemic and various reasons. This increase was limited to 4% in 2022 compared to 2021.
The use of heat pumps is increasing in Türkiye, as it is all over the world. However, since Türkiye is not affected by natural gas supply shortages that particularly affect Europe, there is no urgency in the use of these devices. Although incentives are being given abroad on this issue, no incentives have yet been discussed in our country. Since there is no urgent need for this in our country, there are no significant manufacturers yet. The fact that most of the main manufacturers of heat pump devices have a very large capacity and require very economic costs makes it difficult to manufacture domestically. However, it is emphasized that there will be a significant increase 90% of as an association, produces air conditioning devices in compliance with energy efficiency standards in Türkiye with rapid technological development. In Türkiye, new generation gases are being used in compliance with European Union regulations. ISKID is conducting intensive activities to develop the HVAC&R industry and the air conditioning market in Türkiye. We continue our versatile work with the 14 commissions we have established," he said. Continuing his evaluations, DIDONYAN stated that ISKID, which was founded in 1992 and has 121 members today, serves the society with social responsibility projects in fields such as technology, health, environment, education, and indoor air quality.
DIDONYAN noted that the world HVAC&R market has exceeded $85 billion, "Türkiye has shown a fast development in the air conditioning market both in terms of quantity and quality with its production capacity. Although there has been a contraction in the air conditioning market in the pandemic, our country made a rapid entry into the international market after the pandemic. It reached a justified and respected level abroad by expanding its export areas," he shared.