Samsung Electronics Co. saw its domestic market share for air conditioning units rise in the first quarter, taking up almost half of the market, largely thanks to the popularity of its windfree air conditioning units.

According to market data tracker GfK, Samsung Electronics accounted for 48.6 percent of the domestic AC market in the first quarter, up 7.6 percentage points compared to its annual share from last year.

A doubling of sales of its energy efficient windfree AC units is believed to have helped Samsung Electronics increase its market share. “While overall demand is weak due to the economic downturn, customer preference for AC models with better energy efficiency has been much more noticeable,” said an official from the electronics giant.

Sales figures from the home appliance store LG Best Shop, however, were not been included in the data. The home appliance store sells mostly products from LG Electronics Inc.

Samsung Electronics has focused on higher energy efficiency with its new windfree AC units released this year. All 2023 models from its Bespoke Windfree Air Conditioner Gallery series are rated at tier 1 or tier 2 on the national energy efficiency scale. All home models in the windfree series have top tier energy efficiency ratings.

The latest addition to the series released last month, the Bespoke Windfree Air Conditioner Window Fit, has applied the windfree mode to its window-mounted AC unit, following stand-alone, wall-mounted and home system air conditioners that applied the signature mode earlier.

Cooling functions have been enhanced, the company says, since the windfree micro-holes were increased by 1,500 to about 270,000, helping to keep the room temperature cool without blasting any cold air directly at people.

In line with recent green trends, the electronics company is also strengthening its environmnent-friendly efforts. This year, Samsung expanded the use of R32, an environmentally-friendly refrigerant gas, to its new windfree models, including slim and wall-mounted models, in addition to prior models.

By Lee Sae-ha and Chang Iou-chung

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