Every year, 618, the most competitive species must not go around air conditioning。
But it's a little different than in previous years, especially with regard to the controversy over "aluminium copper." consumers are concerned that air-conditioning manufacturers may have to replace copper pipes with aluminium tubes to compress costs, which are difficult to distinguish from, and will only be felt in a few years when quality is reduced and the quality is not known when it is purchased. Increased costs and significant price reductions are inevitably disturbing. The price of air-conditioning pages on each platform has been collectively checked down, and many 1. 5 energy-efficient hangers have been marked at between 1300 and 1500 yuan。
(source: kyoto)
At this point, we may all be skeptical, and this year the air conditioners are getting cheaper
Cost hikes. Air conditioning market pressure this year
According to data from the oviyun network, the retail volume of air conditioners decreased by 6. 2 per cent in the first quarter of 2026,4 and the decline continued to expand in may, with a projected contraction of about 8. 5 per cent throughout the year. In this context, the expansion of brands at 618 nodes, both the usual pace of the boom and the overlapping of state-backed policy support, have contributed to the downward trend in prices。
But, well, "the sky is not beautiful" is likely to make the consumption demand for air conditioning more robust this year than in previous years. The national climate centre predicts that the national average temperature in the summer of 2026 was higher than in the past, that high temperatures were higher than in the past, and that the south and xinjiang were more visible. The data show that in 2026 it was 40 days, 10 days more than the 30 days in 2025, all of which was folded up in the middle, which was the most difficult period of the year. In the light of the experience of 2025, the 618 promotional nodes folded on the july high temperature, which was the period during which air conditioning was best sold。
Source: mapping of mine technology
In the past year, the volume of goods delivered exceeded 10. 2 billion stations by year。
While there is demand for sales, it cannot be overlooked that costs are rising. On the one hand, the core of the recent controversy is the rise in copper prices. Copper prices have continued to climb over the past five years, with lme prices increasing cumulatively by more than 200 per cent over the march low point in 2020, and by late april 2026, the price of copper had reached approximately $103,000 per ton. Copper costs about 20 per cent of the air conditioner costs, and the cost of a general household air conditioner is $2,300 less than a few years ago, and $5,600 more, and if you look at the medium- and low-end, the profit margin is minimal。
Under the pressure of cost, the industry started a wave of collective price hikes in early 2026, with many corporate officials from haishin, ox, meibo, u. S., tcl, chi koo, in the range of 3 to 10%. The government has just picked up part of the increase at this node. In 2026, household electricity was renewed by the old-for-new policy, with level-i energy-efficient air conditioners subsidized at 15 per cent of the sales price, with a single cap of $1,500. Consumers have not seen the price of air conditioners skyrocketing for the time being, and in fact have gone to the bottom with subsidies。
(page source: new wave technology)
In march 2025, a document issued jointly by 10 departments, including the ministry of industry and communications, also explicitly included the replacement of the ac thermal exchanger for the hot aluminium tubes in the "aluminium bronze" focus, but the consumer side questioned it, "are you quietly changing the tubes, or are you stealing less?" more subtlely, aluminium copper is mainly concerned with aluminium tubes inside the heat exchanger, while the most familiar and easily understood “copper tubes” of consumers are often the connections between indoor and outdoor machines, which are different parts, but are often confused in discussions。
In the midst of this uncertainty, the sale of this year's 618-plus air conditioners market is still very much influenced by consumers' concern that air conditioning is not cheap enough and that it will not be reduced by theft. Of course, air-conditioning manufacturers have felt the controversy long ago, so we can see that this year almost all the manufacturers are trying a new selling point, the "pure copper."。
"pretty copper pipe" has become a 618 air conditioner for sale
Based on the 1. 5 primary energy-efficient hangers of several mainstream brands in kyoto during the 618 period, the national catch price is roughly three tiers, the concentration of tcl and millet is between us$ 1359 and us$ 1572, the us's main power product is between us$ 1614 and us$ 1784, with the highest price band at around us$ 2099 and us$ 2379. These are super-plus prices, and the subsidy range is generally 15% or less, and it shows that the price is higher。
Tcl and millet follow a value-for-money route, small mietomeh ecology and online channels, and the domestic marketing market has grown fastest in recent years in several mainstream brands, with the sale of a 1. 5-piece hanger in kyoto having exceeded 4 million; the united states is in the middle, with the widest coverage of sku, with layout from the entrance to the middle end, with the middle end, with profits at the high end and prices higher than those of tcl and millimetres. Glig, for its part, has maintained relatively higher pricing, and at the beginning of this year, it made a clear statement that it would match the fall of the national policy and that domestic air conditioning would not follow up on price increases。
(source: kyoto)
This means that consumers will be able to feel a marked decline in prices on this occasion, in which national policies play a key role, effectively balancing the pressures of rising raw materials costs. However, once the subsidy is exhausted or the policy is tightened, the price will bounce back, so if there is a purchase plan, 618 is indeed a time point to consider。
It's more interesting this year's "clean copper war" than the price。
Several branded commodity titles or page titles have been featured, and initiatives have begun to label the words "pure copper pipe" "copper for heat" "real copper material". A combined tcl product is written directly in the headline of "pure copper pipe" and the gryth's customer service entrance calls out "618 glycerine air conditioning" and beautiful and small rice are marked on the product page。
(chart source: tcl kyoto flag shop)
Before the aluminum copper dispute, the copper pipe was the default configuration of the industry, and no brand would write it in the title because it was unnecessary. It is now a point of sale, or even a way for brands to distinguish between themselves and their competitors, indicating that consumer misgivings are enough to influence product marketing, or that, if the manufacturer does not prove itself innocent, it is acting as if it is doing something "defeating."。
But the paradox is that while the industry pushes forward the technological exploration of aluminium copper, the other side proactively highlights the "copper pipe" on a consumer-oriented page and responds positively to consumer concerns about the use of the material. So it seems that this year, 618 low prices are no longer a hard fight for producers, and it is even more difficult to gain consumer confidence。
Low annual price? Not necessarily
Since it's the middle of the year, most of the consumers of materials are more concerned about prices, and if the prices are affordable, aluminium and copper are not at the core. After all, which of the big players today, such as the american, tcl, hale and hysin, are not major manufacturers of core technology。
But prices, sometimes, are not what we see。
The historical price records of the third-party platform show that this time the price of 618 is in half a year's dimension, not every type of machine is historically low. The current national catch-up price of the glycerian is about $2099, but the third-party platform has a record that after the end of last year's coding of regional subsidies, the hand price was between 1700 and 1870 yuan, much cheaper than it is now. In the price tracking of a third-party platform with a giant power-saving power source, about $1399 was recorded in early may 2026, almost $170 less than the current price of 618. The tcl kyoto consortium recorded approximately us$ 1350 in march 2026, almost at the same price as the current 618 price, indicating that the price of the machine has been stable and has remained in the same price range for the period 618。
Source: mapping of mine technology
This does not mean that "618 is useless" but that the price movements of different types at different time nodes vary widely, with some models showing significant price reductions before, and others keeping prices low over the years, with no additional incentives. If you look only at the "618" label, you might miss a better time and buy a price that is not actually favourable。
In addition to the purchase price of air conditioners, we are also concerned about additional value added costs。
New air conditioners are generally provided for free door-to-door installation, but additional costs arise when standard accessories are exceeded or complex installation environments are encountered. Of the publicly available charges at the kyoto help centre, 100 dollars (200 dollars if installed from the ceiling rope board), 90 dollars per metre for long connections, 40 dollars per leg for extras and 80 dollars per hole in concrete walls。
Source: mapping of mine technology
They're not big money, but they're different. In the case of a common installation of a middle floor with a pipeline of more than 3 metres, requiring new concrete wall holes, if a high cost of $100, a long tube of about $2 m, a drill of $80, and three totals of $360, would be more than $400 if new racks were needed。
In the case of a tcl air conditioner with a page price of about $1359, the installation surcharge of $400 is equivalent to nearly 30% of the additional cost. Even more problematic is the fact that it is difficult to estimate the money accurately before the order is placed, and it is not possible to confirm it until the pilot comes to the door, when the machine has moved back and there is little room for bargaining。
It would therefore be useful to know in advance the conditions of installation at home: the location of the outside aircraft would be several floors, the availability of the outer racks, the approximate length of the inside-to-out route, the brick wall or concrete. These potential additional costs are then added to the sale price of the air conditioners themselves and compared to that of the air conditioners themselves, which would be more visible。
Of course, there may still be consumers who are concerned about "aluminium copper." more explicit descriptions are already available on multiple branded kyoto guest services or product pages. Mi passenger service confirms that the rice house 1. 5 pictories are equipped with 3 m full copper tube, and provides reference to fees for longer tubes and stubs (approximately $100 per metre for long copper tubes, $40 for regular stubs and $80 for stainless steel stubs)。
In the client's response, the u. S. Offered to show cooler power by 1. 5 coding with 3 metres of copper tubes, and to supplement the product information on the use of full copper tubes by heat exchangers. The gwi and tcl product pages and the passenger service entrances also contain instructions on the cost of installation, which is basically fine when consulted prior to purchase。
On the whole, such issues do not have a uniform pre-notification standard at the industry level, and the level of detail varies from brand to brand, from one source to another, and it would be better to ask more now than before。
In summary, the price of the 618 air conditioner did indeed come down this time, and after the sale of the national folding platform, the 1. 5 primary energy efficiency hanger for tcl and millimetres has entered the 1300 to 1500 yuan, which is worth doing for users with purchase plans。
(source: kyoto)
With regard to the “aluminium copper” controversy on the internet, thunder felt less serious, and several mainstream brands are now all connected tubes as well. However, aluminium copper must be an industry trend over the next few years, and more new products will try to replace copper with aluminium in core parts as technology matures. If you really don't want to use the aluminum air conditioner, you'll have to take advantage of it。
Finally, ray would like to remind you that the purchase of air conditioners is not only based on air conditioners, but also on the cost of installation, not only on competition, but also on historical prices, so as to make it easier to obtain new air conditioners。
