China rolls out first life span standard for home appliances

China unveiled its first set of standard life spans for home appliances to fend off safety risks and promote energy consciousness, officials said Friday.

The new standard by China Household Electrical Appliances Association put the life span of refrigerators and air conditioners at 10 years and that for washing machines, dryers, range hoods, gas stoves and electric water heaters at eight years.

The move will help raise consumers' awareness for safety and energy conservation, as well as put more new models on the market, said Wang Dong, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission.

The overuse of electrical home appliances past life expectancy will increase energy consumption and safety risks, according to Jiang Feng, president of CHEAA.

Jiang said an expected 160 million units of electrical home appliances will expire in 2020.

As the world's largest home appliances manufacturer, China saw total revenue of its home appliance companies hit 1.44 trillion yuan (US$207.6 billion) during the first 11 months of 2019, up 4.3 percent year on year, according to official data.

To further boost home appliances consumption, China has introduced incentives to support consumers in replacing old home appliances and electronics with greener and smarter alternatives.