The purchasing trend of Chinese consumers is gradually shifting, with the market share of high-end air conditioners (AC) priced at ¥12000 ($1700) or more reaching 8.5% as of 2019 (2019 China Home Appliance Industry Annual Report). A wide variety of additional functions (e.g. self-cleaning, WIFI and other smart controls) are now available and often packaged with high efficiency AC. To find out how these additional features influence the energy efficiency, product price and consumers’ purchasing decisions, NRDC initiated a research project in collaboration with the China National Institute of Standardization and held a project launch meeting on April 30. Over 20 experts from research institutes, universities, consulting agencies and manufacturers attended the online event and shared their insights. GREE and Haier, two of China's biggest AC manufactures shared their first-hand experience on the market trend and consumers’ preference. This study will help inform our strategy for promoting energy efficiency and supporting China’s National Green Cooling Action Plan.