(Yicai) June 29 -- Exports of Chinese electric fans to Europe climbed in the first five months of the year, as Europe is experiencing a record-breaking heatwave.

Chinese electric fan exports to Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom soared between 20 percent and 97 percent in the five months ended May 31 from a year earlier, according to customs data.

The ongoing heatwave in Western Europe is one of the most severe ever recorded, with countries like France and the UK experiencing their hottest ever June temperatures. Spain and Portugal saw temperatures exceed 40° Celsius.

In February and March, Luckyway Home Appliances exported a large number of electric fans to Europe, General Manager Li Mingyang told Yicai. So far this year, the company's export value of electric fans to Europe has increased 20 percent from a year earlier, he noted.

"The weather in Europe is extremely hot, which we didn't anticipate," Li said. "We expect orders to keep increasing next year."

Electric fans are very popular in Europe because of the relatively high installation cost of air conditioners, Li explained, adding that a large European retail chain contacted him to propose a collaboration to jointly develop misting fans.

Prices of raw materials, such as non-ferrous metals like copper and plastic, have increased recently, along with exchange rate costs, according to Li. As a result, Luckyway has hiked prices of exported electric fans by about 7 percent to 8 percent.

A staffer at a fan manufacturer in China's Foshan told Yicai that, given surging raw material prices, the company maintains a cautious attitude towards the increasing order volume from Europe due to the low product prices.

Editor: Futura Costaglione