Like last year, there is a good demand for electricity-run residential water heaters, locally known as geysers, since the coming of winter this year thanks to changing lifestyles in semi-urban and urban areas and affordable prices, according to industry insiders.

Temperatures yesterday dropped to a minimum of 15.1°C in the capital while the lowest in the country was 8.9°C in Sreemangal, as per data of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Faisal Mahmud, a technician in Uttara of Dhaka, said he has been installing at least two geysers every day since the start of December and anticipates having to set up even more from the first week of January.

During this winter season from November to February, sales could total at least 400,000 units whereas three years back it was just around 120,000 units, claim industry insiders in spite of a dearth of reliable data.

This season's sales could amount to about Tk 380 crore to Tk 400 crore and a major portion is generated by about a dozen local businesses offering the product under their own brands.

The electrical appliance comprises simple technology and Tk 20 crore to Tk 25 crore is needed to set up a manufacturing plant capable of producing at least 35,000 units to 40,000 units annually.

Sales have been apparently quite high for Walton Group, which manufactures and sells products under its own brand.

Local businesses are now producing high quality goods and are fully equipped to meet domestic demand, said Rinto Augustin Gomes, product manager for home appliances of Walton.

However, the depreciation of the Taka against the US dollar has turned imported raw materials costlier, leading to a slight increase in production costs, he added.

"We have 30-litre to 67-litre geysers at prices ranging from Tk 8,390 to Tk 18,400," he said.

"We also introduced IoT [WiFi controlled] devices. Now, customers can use their geyser through a Walton app," he added.

Over the past two weeks, Transcom Digital has sold 700 geysers.

The demand increased in tune with the gradual drop in temperature, said Ritesh Ranjan, head of business at Transcom Digital.

Even demand for room heaters has also increased although a cold wave is yet to hit, he added.

According to him, such products are a creature comfort while remaining within the purchasing capacity of middle-income groups.

The company sells geysers of 15-litre to 50-litre capacities at prices of Tk 12,300 to Tk 15,800, he said.

"We also started selling Haier brand geysers for the first time in this season," Ranjan added.

With the arrival of winter, Pran-RFL Group witnessed double-digit sales growth this month compared to the same period last year.

"We set a target to sell at least 2.20 lakh units this season while the production capacity is around 3 lakh units," said Pran-RFL's Director for Marketing Kamruzzaman Kamal.

Accordingly, demand usually peaks in the winter season, and this year is no exception as sales are anticipated to rise in coming days, he continued.

"Over time, people have incorporated the product into their daily lives. Geysers provide hot water straight from the water supply outlet, which is very useful especially for showering," he said.

The device is now more affordable for middle-income people living in urban, semi-urban and even rural parts of the nation thanks to increased local production, he added.

According to Kamal, the price of locally made geysers ranges from Tk 3,000 to Tk 15,000.

The demand for winter-centric products like room heaters and geysers has increased not only in major cities like Sylhet, Chattogram and Dhaka, but also the country's colder northern districts.

These devices have become nearly indispensable in areas like Rangpur, Dinajpur and Panchagarh, particularly for households with young children, senior citizens or people with health conditions.

Markets in Rangpur and Dinajpur offer a range of geysers and heaters of local and international brands.

Room heaters are priced between Tk 1,200 and Tk 10,000 while geysers of 20-litre to 67-liter capacities cost between Tk 5,000 and Tk 20,000.

Delwar Hossain, a resident of Dinajpur sadar upazila, recently purchased a geyser for his family but expressed dissatisfaction with its "steep" price.

 "Last year, the same model was much more affordable. Although we needed it urgently due to the harsh winter, the price hike is frustrating," he said.

Retailers echoed similar sentiments about the market dynamics.

Popular brands like Miyako, Nova and Konka are dominating the market but the financial strain on consumers is evident.

"People are finding it hard to meet daily expenses, let alone invest in items they consider non-essential," said Ashraful Islam, a retailer in Gopalganj.