Recently, Dong Mingzhu, deputy to the National People's Congress and chairman of Gree Electric Appliances, made it clear in an interview that her vision is to allow consumers to use air conditioners that will not break down for 10 years. This goal reflects Gree’s ultimate pursuit of product durability. Regarding the controversial topic of replacing copper with aluminum in the industry, Dong Mingzhu bluntly said that Gree does not blindly reject the use of aluminum materials. Although aluminum materials have their uses, aluminum still cannot essentially replace the function of copper in the core components of air conditioners.
Dong Mingzhu called on all home appliance companies to give consumers an accurate answer. Companies need to clearly inform consumers whether aluminum or copper tubes are used inside the product. This transparent right to know is crucial for consumers.
From a technical perspective, the core reason why aluminum tubes cannot completely replace copper tubes is the significant difference in physical properties. The thermal conductivity of aluminum is only about 60% of that of copper, and its corrosion resistance is relatively weak.
If aluminum is forced to be used instead of copper, air conditioners are likely to suffer from refrigerant leaks or pipe perforations within three to five years. The characteristics of this material determine that it is currently difficult to meet the service life requirement of more than ten years, which will directly harm the interests of consumers.
In Gree's R&D system, although it has been continuously researching related technologies for replacing aluminum with copper, Gree will never use such an alternative that lowers quality standards in its products until 100% reliability cannot be ensured.
Dong Mingzhu further emphasized that with the continuous upgrading of technology, the pursuit of enterprises should not just stop at reducing material costs. The long-term operating costs of consumers should be comprehensively considered, the core of which is electricity expenses.
She gave an example of an air conditioner that uses advanced technology and high-quality materials, and the user's annual electricity bill may only be 5,000 yuan. And if low-quality alternative materials are used in order to reduce the initial installation cost, although the price is cheap, the annual electricity bill may be as high as 10,000 yuan due to extremely high energy consumption.
Gree's purpose is to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction through technological innovation, and at the same time ensure the long-term durability of products through high-standard material selection, thereby minimizing the overall cost of use for consumers.
