Air conditioner sales have climbed across the Dominican Republic as sustained high temperatures push consumers to seek cooling equipment, with multiple retailers reporting stronger-than-usual demand, particularly for 12,000 and 18,000 BTU units.
( DIARIO LIBRE / FOTO DE ARCHIVO )
Retailers including La Sirena on Winston Churchill Avenue, ComfortStar, and Plaza Lama on 27 de Febrero told this outlet that most of the increased demand is coming from individual consumers rather than businesses. A La Sirena employee said the store sold more air conditioners than normal in the period leading up to Father's Day weekend.
Units in the 12,000 BTU range are priced between 20,000 and 30,000 pesos, while 18,000 BTU models cost around 60,000 pesos.
Not all retailers have shared in the gains. Rubiera Refricentro reported that its sales had fallen by about 20 percent.
Sellers across several stores said most transactions are being completed by credit card rather than in cash, with buyers taking advantage of discounts, cashback programs, and available financing options. Several stores said they had increased their inventory to keep pace with demand and were also handling a higher volume of installation requests.
The Dominican Institute of Meteorology, known as Indomet, said through its Instagram account that Wednesday would bring a hot environment and few clouds across most of the national territory. The agency has also highlighted the influence of Saharan dust moving over the country in recent days, which it said drives temperatures higher.
