Air conditioning sales explode in hot Northeast

The social inclusion process observed in the last two decades begins to provide the new Northeastern middle class the right to dream "refreshment". After the phone, refrigerator and flat-screen TV, came the time of air conditioning, whose sales have exploded in one of the poorest-and-hot Brazil. If the population of classes C and D may already have the equipment, the same cannot be said of their ability to bear the burden of this acquisition. Facing the high cost of electricity in the country, many families can only enjoy cooling through illegal connections.
According to the Brazilian Association of refrigeration, Air Conditioning, ventilation and heating (Abrava), the domestic segment sales grew 89% in the country between 2007 and 2012, an annual average of 17.8%. Principal advisor, Toshio Murakami estimates that the North and Northeast have advanced 133% over the same period, or 26.7% per year. With a higher than expected heat in the early months of 2013, Northeastern retailers point numbers even more expressive.
It was an eventful one night about a year ago that the Pernambuco teacher Elaine Karen de Vasconcelos, 35 years, decided to put an end to a lifetime of night suadouro. In retirement from his home in the neighborhood of two brothers, the outskirts of Recife, she opted for a vinyl roof, which left the internal environment even more hot and muggy. "Overnight unbearable, decided to buy the air-conditioning. Today my daughter is in love with him, "Elaine, who paid in ten installments of the $ 899.
The credit card installment focuses almost all sale of air conditioning in the point of Promotion, appliance retailer with 50 stores in the State. Fernando Marin, owner of the network, says that last year sold 40% more equipment than in 2011. The Eletroshopping, which has 142 points in five Northeastern States, registered impressive 193% advance in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2012.
The President of Abrava reminds us that, because of the climate, the Northeast registers a penetration index of equipment higher than the national average, 17% of the households today. Rare are the days when the temperature does not exceed the 30 degrees in the region. Data from the National Institute of meteorology (Inmet) pointed out that the first quarter of 2013 is among the three most recent 50 years in hot capital of Pernambuco.
"It's a combination of the economy, the growth of purchasing power and the culture of use in the region. In the Northeast, the market is not as seasonal in the Southeast, "says Murakami. It reiterates that it is common for the existence of more than one unit in the wealthiest homes in the region, hardly occurs with other appliances, except for the TV.
At the home of Professor Elaine there is only one air-conditioning, but at least five cats circled around the room during the interview to the value. Despite the attachment to felines, she is not a supporter of illegal connections, power in Recife the gambiarra, contrary to other regions of the country, who know popularly as "cat", is best known for "monkey". Elaine reports that since air-conditioning came into his life, the energy bill increased about 20%. The monthly invoice value went from $ 100 to $ 120, more expensive than the provision ($ 90).
Not everyone can-or want to-afford the additional cost. In the case of a taxi driver who, due to the irregular situation of their electrical installations, did not want to be named. "If the surveillance comes here, shuts down the whole neighborhood," he said, describing in detail the banality of "cats" or "monkeys"-in his neighborhood. "Just so you can enjoy the chill" as they are called chilled environments in the city, says.
According to the Director of Abrava, most modern models of air conditioners, which account for 70% of sales, consume far less power than in the past. Still, weighing on the Bill. The Companhia Energética de Pernambuco (Celpe), Neoenergia Group controlled, said to have 1.3 million customers enrolled in Social Power Tariff, the federal government program that gives discounts to the population served by social programs, the case of Professor Elaine.
The Celpe reported that are planned for this year about 180 thousand inspections and 6 thousand shields in meters of customers who are caught carrying out fraud. Surveillance success threatens the "chill" of many people. Connected or not, the air-conditioning devices work well as archetype of the national economy, high consumer and infrastructure bottlenecks.