[Reprinted from China Economic Net] The national subsidy policy for energy conservation and benefiting the people, which has been implemented since June last year, will expire on the 31st of this month according to the "tentative one-year" provision. The market and consumers are very concerned about the expiration of the policy. whether to continue. The reporter learned from home appliance companies that the company has not yet received an official conclusion on whether the policy will continue. According to the news from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, the association has recently submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Development and Reform Commission on the withdrawal of the subsidy policy for energy saving and benefiting the people.

As for whether the policy should be extended after it expires, there are still different voices in the home appliance industry. Under the circumstance that the policy is not clear, many home appliance companies have made preparations for the expiry and no longer continue. Recently, they have been actively carrying out various promotions, catching the last train of the policy, and setting off a wave of home appliance consumption after the May 1st Golden Week.

The market expects that the policy will not be extended after it expires

In May 2012, the State Council decided to arrange financial subsidies of 26.5 billion yuan to promote products such as energy-saving air conditioners, flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, washing machines and water heaters. subsidy. This policy has been officially implemented since June 1, 2012, and the promotion period is tentatively set for one year. After that, the three ministries and commissions announced the shortlisted catalogues for the promotion of energy-saving and beneficial household appliances in three batches, and the shortlisted products were also sold in the market one after another. As planned, this policy will expire on May 31, 2013.

With the approaching of May 31, the subsidy policy for energy saving and benefiting the people has also entered the final countdown. Does the policy continue after it expires? The reporter recently learned from home appliance manufacturers such as Changhong, Hisense, Chigo, and TCL, as well as channel dealers such as Gome and Suning, that the company has not yet received an official conclusion. But most manufacturers said they expected the policy to expire soon.

Han Baoxiang, general manager of Guangzhou Gome, said: "The state has successively introduced a series of policies for the home appliance market, such as home appliances going to the countryside, trade-in, and energy-saving subsidies. Judging from the previous trade-in and home appliances going to the countryside, they ended when they expired. period will also be withdrawn.”

Huang Xinhua, general manager of Hisense Kelon Guangzhou Company, has a different opinion. He said that the latest batch of "Energy-saving and Benefiting Home Appliances Promotion Shortlist" was just announced on April 27, and the subsidy range includes flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, household air conditioners, For many types of energy-saving products such as washing machines, solar water heaters, central air conditioners (units), and desktop computers, "there is still one month before the policy expires to announce the product catalogue. It will take some time from the catalogue announcement to the product listing. , it is impossible to end it in such a short time, indicating that the subsidy policy may continue after it expires."

Previously, the three ministries and commissions had repeatedly consulted the industry on whether the policy should be continued on different occasions and through different channels. News from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association pointed out that the association has recently submitted a proposal letter to the three ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Development and Reform Commission on the withdrawal of the subsidy policy for energy saving and benefiting the people.

The industry has disputes over "whether the policy should be continued"

Since the implementation of the subsidy policy for energy saving and benefiting the people, it has played a significant role in driving and guiding the market. After the Spring Festival this year, three ministries and commissions issued a notice saying: "From the perspective of the implementation for half a year, the sales of energy-saving home appliances have increased significantly, the product structure has been significantly optimized, and the policy effect has gradually emerged." Statistics from CMM also show that in 2012, The subsidy policy for energy saving and benefiting the people has driven the promotion of more than 32.7 million high-efficiency and energy-saving home appliances, driving consumer demand to more than 115.4 billion yuan. The product structure of home appliance companies has also changed. The reporter learned from Hisense Kelon that energy-saving products have become the main force in its market sales. Changhong also said that its black and white TV products are basically energy-saving products.

There are still different opinions in the industry as to whether the policy should be extended after it expires.

The view of Fang Hongbo, chairman of Midea Group, is that the policy should not be implemented for a long time, and the development of the industry should be promoted through the power of the market, otherwise enterprises will easily suffer from "subsidy dependence". Dong Mingzhu, chairman and president of Gree Electric Appliances, also believes that in a market economy, companies must rely on product quality and technology to win the market. If the market consumption stops after the policy of benefiting the people is stopped, it is not real consumption. An enterprise is like a machine. If it relies on government subsidies to keep the enterprise running normally, it is equivalent to giving the enterprise a first aid shot to keep it alive, just like using a ventilator. If the ventilator is taken away, it stops breathing, which is also fake breathing.

Changhong spokesman and director of the planning department Liu Haizhong said in an interview with a reporter from Nanfang Daily that the energy-saving and people-friendly subsidies are on the surface a consumption subsidy, but in fact they are guidelines for industrial upgrading and consumption orientation, promoting enterprises to upgrade energy-saving technologies, and guiding consumers to purchase Energy-saving products contribute to the improvement of environmental protection awareness of the whole society. Moreover, the policy has had a positive effect on the market in the past year, and it is hoped that the subsidy will continue after the expiry. Skyworth spokesman Li Congxiang also told the media that the cost of promoting energy conservation, emission reduction and product upgrades is quite high, and the subsidy policy can reduce the cost pressure of enterprises.

Liu Wei, secretary of the board of directors of Sunrise Oriental, said that compared with air conditioners, color TVs and other categories, the average subsidy amount for each solar water heater is only about 150 yuan, which is limited in attracting consumers. Enterprises can directly give profits to consumers through discounts. In addition, there are some flaws in the operation level of dealers. At present, enterprises generally tend not to continue the subsidy policy.

Lu Renbo, deputy secretary general of the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce, believes that government support policies can only promote the development of the home appliance industry to a certain extent, and product innovation and quality still need the promotion of enterprises and the market to ensure the balanced development of the consumer market.

Manufacturers catch the "last train" of energy-saving subsidies

Unlike home appliance companies who have "different views" on whether the policy should continue, consumers unanimously believe that the subsidy policy should continue. Ms. Gao, who recently planned to buy home appliances, said that the air conditioner subsidy of two or three hundred yuan is equivalent to nearly 10% cheaper. A 32-inch color TV subsidy is 300 yuan, which is equivalent to 1/5 cheaper. Consumers still care a lot. This part is subsidized.

The reporter interviewed consumers randomly and found that what consumers are most concerned about is whether the price of energy-saving home appliances will rise if there is no subsidy after the policy expires. Out of this concern, many consumers rushed to catch the last train of the policy and hurry up to buy energy-saving home appliances.

Data from Suning shows that during the May 1st Golden Week, the sales of products that enjoy energy-saving subsidies such as air conditioners and color TVs are extremely hot, at least 3-4 times more than usual, which drives the sales of all Suning stores during the Golden Week to increase by 100% year-on-year. Among them, air conditioners and color TVs increased by 150%. According to Han Baoxiang, general manager of Guangzhou Gome, since May, the sales of energy-saving products of Gome have increased by nearly 35% year-on-year, of which energy-saving air conditioners and color TVs have increased by as much as 40%. "

Regardless of whether the policy is continued or not, home appliance manufacturers regard the expiration of the policy as an opportunity, and have actively launched various promotional activities for energy-saving products recently. Han Baoxiang introduced that in the past few weeks, Gome has cooperated with manufacturers to provide triple subsidies. In addition to policy subsidies, energy-saving products participating in the event will also enjoy subsidies from Gome and manufacturers. "The triple subsidies can be discounted by up to 2,000 yuan. to the peak period of consumption of energy-saving products.”

Konka, which has just been shortlisted for 98 products in the fifth batch of energy-saving flat-panel TV product promotion catalogues, has also recently launched energy-saving subsidies and Konka's 33rd birthday "two-wheel drive" promotion. The subsidy project is not only an important measure to stimulate people's livelihood consumption, but also an important driving force to promote industrial progress. At present, more than 80% of Konka's products on sale are energy-saving products.

The reporter saw on Suning.com that the website has set up a special area for energy-saving subsidies, with the slogan "If you miss energy-saving subsidies, you will no longer have it." energy-saving subsidies, the price is really attractive. Not only TCL, but also black power brands such as Hisense and Samsung, as well as white power manufacturers such as Gree, Midea, Chigo, Haier, Hisense, etc., have launched the concept of expiring promotion of energy-saving and benefiting policies.

The early release of consumption may bring about market weakness

The manufacturer wants to catch the last train of the policy and make a sprint, but there is less than half a month left, and it is still unknown how much the final effect will be. Some air-conditioning manufacturers worry that this sprint will not necessarily increase the sales of energy-saving air conditioners. The installation of air-conditioning requires cycles, which reduces the time to receive energy-saving subsidies.

However, the industry is more worried that the sprint of the "last train" effect will lead to overdraft of consumption in advance. After the subsidy policy for energy saving and benefiting the people is withdrawn, the home appliance market will face a period of weakness. According to the research forecast of Zhongyikang, the market is expected to be weak and weak in June and July, and it is difficult to reproduce a sharp rise in year-on-year growth.

Lian Siqing, President of Zhongyikang, believes that the subsidy policy will contribute its last strength before the end to boost the continuous growth of the market. If the policy is no longer continued, home appliance companies will face a severe test. He said that companies should shift their goals from quantitative growth to qualitative improvement, and from the perspective of providing consumers with a better user experience, accelerate the upgrading of product structure, so as to ensure the sustainable and stable development of the market after the end of the policy.