Air conditioning and commercial refrigeration company Blue Star Ltd said on Tuesday (March 4) that it expects sales of smart air-conditioners to reach 500,000 units in FY26. The company anticipates total air-conditioner sales to rise from 1.5 million units in the current fiscal year to two million units in FY26.

Managing Director B Thiagarajan stated that Blue Star aims for a room air-conditioner market share of 13.9% in FY25 and 15.5% by FY28-end. He added that the company has reduced the price gap between normal and smart air conditioners to ₹990 from ₹3,000, fuelling strong demand for smart models. These ACs come with additional chipsets, enabling mobile and Wi-Fi-based operation.

Meanwhile, consumer durable stocks, including Blue Star and Voltas, have outperformed the broader markets over the past five trading sessions. Voltas shares gained 10%, making them the top gainer on the Nifty Midcap index, which has dropped 3.6% in the same period. Blue Star shares surged over 15%, ranking as the second-best performer on the Nifty Smallcap index, even as the index declined over 4%.

The rally in cooling sector stocks comes as India experiences an early onset of summer, driving expectations of higher air-conditioner demand.