Scrapping Bonus Boosts Austrian Cold Market

How effective are incentive programs for energy efficient appliances? This is just one of the many questions that will be answered at the upcoming GfK Global Domestic Appliances Conference held on March 11th in Milan.

The most recent example for such an incentive program is the Austrian scrapping bonus, which was limited to the last four months of 2009, resulting in a massive sales increase. Customers could apply for a reimbursement of up to 100 Euros after purchasing a fridge or freezer labelled A++. 

The overall Cold market exhibited double-digit growth between September and October, +16% (value) +12% (volume) compared to an average of 5% growth prior to the launch of the program. Year-end sales were even in excess of +20%.