Why don’t Europeans install air conditioners?

Recently, Europe is suffering from high temperatures, with temperatures in southern Spain even reaching 46 degrees Celsius. Many people have died from high temperatures in France, Italy and Spain.

Unexpectedly, the record-breaking high temperatures did not ignite the enthusiasm of Europeans to install air conditioners. According to data from CNN, only about 20% of households in Europe have installed air conditioners, and the figure is even lower in the UK and Germany, at 5% and 3% respectively.

Why is air conditioning not “welcome” in Europe?

First, lack of tradition. Many European countries have almost no tradition of using air conditioners to cool down. Although heat waves occur from time to time, they rarely last as long and as frequently as the current high temperature weather.

Second, the cost is too high. In Europe, air conditioners are expensive to install and use. Especially after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, European energy prices have risen sharply, and electricity bills have become an expense that most families are reluctant to pay.

Third, the buildings are old. When a large number of houses in Europe were built, air conditioning technology was not yet popular. For example, in England, one-sixth of homes were built before 1900 and generally lack the infrastructure to install a central cooling system.

Finally, there are policy reasons. The EU plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and the large-scale installation of air conditioners is obviously contrary to the EU’s commitment. Some European countries have clearly issued regulations to restrict the use of air conditioners.

However, even if they cannot install air conditioners for the time being, many European friends have found tips to avoid the heat. On the streets of Europe, Chinese fans and Chinese-made hand-cranked small fans can be seen everywhere, which makes people feel very cordial.

As extreme high temperature weather becomes more and more frequent, Europeans’ attitude towards air conditioners is quietly changing. British air conditioning companies revealed that the number of consultations on residential air conditioning in the UK has tripled in the past five years. The International Energy Agency report predicts that by 2050, the number of air conditioning equipment in the EU will increase to 275 million units, more than twice that of 2019.