Europe is suffering through record-breaking heat exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, but a lack of cooling infrastructure is amplifying the damage. As high temperatures grow more frequent due to climate change, expensive energy prices, aging building structures, and carbon-neutral policies have combined to keep the air conditioning penetration rate in European households at just 20 percent. That stands in sharp contrast to the United States, where the rate is around 90 percent.
According to U.S. broadcaster CNN on Sunday, the reasons air conditioning has struggled to spread in Europe include historically low cooling demand, cost burdens, architectural styles, administrative regulations, and climate policy.
The broadcaster reported that many citizens are enduring the heat by relying on fans, ice packs, and cold showers even as temperatures climb above 40 degrees day after day.
The heat wave swept through Western Europe before spreading eastward, covering Central and Eastern Europe. Large-scale power outages, canceled train services, school closures, and reduced business hours followed in various regions. As the heat dome that brought early summer heat to Western Europe moved east, Central and Eastern Europe were also trapped in high temperatures for days.
In Germany, the temperature in the eastern state of Brandenburg soared to 41.7 degrees the previous day, breaking a record. The Czech Republic and Poland both topped 40 degrees on the same day, continuing the unusual heat. France recorded its hottest day since weather observations began in 1947. As of June 24, the average day-and-night temperature across 30 key observation stations nationwide was 30 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 29.8 degrees.
In Spain, the maximum temperature has exceeded 40 degrees since last weekend, and two elderly people died from heat-related illnesses. In the United Kingdom, a red heat alert was issued for much of England and Wales. The Met Office said the maximum temperature in Hampshire rose to 36.1 degrees as of June 24, the highest on record for June. The figure broke the previous record of 35.6 degrees, set in 1957 and 1976, after 50 years.
Experts pointed to historically low cooling demand as the biggest reason for Europe's slow adoption of air conditioning. They explained that while heat waves occurred in the past, prolonged high temperatures were rare, and Northern Europe in particular had a climate where cooling equipment was virtually unnecessary.
For these reasons, air conditioning was long regarded as a luxury rather than a household necessity. Brian Motherway, head of the office of energy efficiency and inclusive transitions at the International Energy Agency (IEA), said Europe had no air conditioning culture and that cooling was not an essential element until relatively recently.
The burden of electricity bills is also an obstacle. The broadcaster reported that energy prices in Europe are higher than in the United States, while many countries have relatively lower average incomes, making the cost of operating air conditioners feel heavy. Building structures also hinder adoption. Many aging buildings were constructed before air conditioning became widespread, making it costly and time-consuming to install new central cooling systems. Homes in Northern Europe, including the United Kingdom, were originally designed without summer heat waves in mind, and one in six homes in the UK was built before 1900, CNN reported.
Administrative regulations are also significant. Richard Salmon, head of the British firm The Air Conditioning Company, said that in conservation areas and listed heritage buildings, installation permits are often denied on the grounds that outdoor units damage the appearance.
Climate policy is another variable. The European Union (EU) has set a goal of cutting carbon emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 and achieving net zero (carbon neutrality) by 2050. As an intermediate step, it agreed last December to reduce emissions by 90 percent from 1990 levels by 2040.
However, as record high temperatures are broken every year, cooling demand is expected to rise sharply. The IEA forecast that the number of air conditioners installed in the EU will reach about 275 million by 2050, more than double the figure in 2019.
