WITH air-conditioners flying off the shelves earlier than expected this year, it could be an indication that the current heat wave has started earlier and is hotter than usual.

But according to the National Environmental Agency (NEA), the current heat wave is quite normal for this time of the year.

Electronic retailer Courts and major brands such as Daikin and Toshiba have seen a premature hike of between 10 and 100 per cent in April and early-May in their sales figures this year. Annually, the peak period for air-con sales is in May and June, the companies said in response to queries from my paper.

Said Ms Goh Choon Gek, director of electrical buying, Courts (Singapore) Limited:

"We usually see air-conditioner sales peak in late May. But this year, sales have already started to surge."

On what is causing the unusual demand for air-conditioners, Mr Ho Weng Fei, 41, general manager for Carrier Singapore, told my paper that it might not just be due to the hotter weather.

Said Mr Ho: "People are also more willing to spend on air-conditioners because the economy is better and they can afford it."

Said a Daikin spokesman: "Singaporeans' mindsets of air-conditioners have changed. It's no longer considered a luxury item.

"In many homes, it's common to have one air-conditioning unit per room."

One such Singaporean is Mrs Alice Lee, 58, sales manager, who spent an estimated $10,000 on multi-split air-conditioning systems in her new semi-detached house.

Six rooms, including all three bedrooms, are fitted with air-conditioners - a "necessary measure" - according to Mrs Lee.

She said: "The weather has been really hot recently. And our house faces the setting sun.

It"s especially warm in the evenings, and using fans wouldn't be as comfortable as having air-conditioning."

An NEA spokesman said the average temperature for the first five days of the month was 29.3 deg C, slightly higher than the average daily temperature of 28.3 in May in past years.

Higher-than-average daily temperatures are also expected for the months of May and June, the two hottest months of the year.

However, the NEA said thatthis year's heat wave is nothing out of the ordinary, when compared with previous years'.

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