Heatwaves Hit Germany, But Why Do People Still Refuse Air Conditioning?

In countries like the United States, Australia, and Japan, or in major Indonesian cities, the humid summer heat is made more bearable by the blast of cold air from air conditioning. But in much of Europe, the solution is far simpler: close the curtains, switch on a fan, and make sure there is plenty of ice water available.

Around 90% of US residents have air conditioning at home, according to the US Department of Energy. In Europe, which has a similar climate, the figure is only about 20%, though it varies by country. In hot southern nations like Spain, around half of households now have central cooling systems. In Germany, however, the figure is just 6%.

There are strong reasons for this. Until recently, air conditioning was not considered a basic necessity in many European countries, particularly in the north. What has changed this summer is the increasing frequency of extreme heatwaves—prolonged periods of high temperatures that threaten infrastructure, ecosystems, and human health. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that extreme heat events are increasing faster than climate experts anticipated, especially in Western Europe. A recent analysis by ClimaMeter, a European research partnership studying extreme weather, found that temperatures in June 2026 were 2 to 4 degrees Celsius hotter than comparable conditions at the end of the 20th century.

This situation is driving a surge in electricity demand for cooling, according to Tommaso Alberti, an Italian researcher affiliated with ClimaMeter. Demand for air conditioning and cooling units in Germany jumped 75% between 2019 and 2024, the hottest year on record. Eurovent, the industry association for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration, also noted steady growth in recent years. Despite this, resistance to AC remains strong in Europe, says Stijn Renneboog, Eurovent’s deputy secretary general. He noted that social media tips for staying cool still often advise against using air conditioning. “Cooling machines are still too often seen as a luxury,” he said, adding that the heat poses a serious public health risk, with tens of thousands of heat-related deaths in Europe each year.

European homes are not designed for air conditioning. Most homes and flats in Germany and other parts of northern Europe were built to retain heat during cold months, not to maximise cooling during hot weather. A recent study found that nearly half of respondents across the European Union turned to improved solar shading and insulation to combat the heat, while many are now also considering air conditioning. Helge Brinkmann, a director at Boston Consulting Group specialising in green energy and the environment, stated in a September 2025 industry analysis that “the era of low AC penetration in Europe is coming to an end.” Retrofitting old European housing stock is not easy. While cooling technology can be easily integrated into new properties, installing it into existing infrastructure is far more complicated. Major renovations allow for new systems, but historic city centres often face additional regulatory and aesthetic barriers. Furthermore, many tenants are prohibited from installing cooling units in their rented homes due to restrictive tenancy agreements, or are unwilling to invest heavily in someone else’s property. This leaves residents in countries where around half the population rents, such as Germany, Denmark, and Austria, forced to settle for less efficient cooling options.

Air conditioning is also becoming a social and public health issue. Cost is another factor preventing many Europeans from installing AC. Rising energy prices make keeping homes cool increasingly expensive, and 38% of respondents in an EU-wide survey said they could not afford the bills to stay cool at home. A 2020 study by researchers in Italy, examining how global warming is driving AC use in temperate countries like France, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, highlighted that low-income groups will be most affected as cooling becomes an unavoidable necessity. Renneboog noted that while heating in winter is considered a basic need, the same is not true for cooling. “It may be time for a similar recognition that the inability to keep buildings cool in summer is also becoming a serious social and public health issue,” he said.

Air conditioning can also worsen global warming. Environmental concerns are another factor slowing the adoption of AC in Europe. The energy required to cool homes and other spaces across the EU has been rising for a decade, particularly since 2020. The latest Eurostat data shows that while heating consumption dipped slightly in 2024, electricity demand for air conditioning surged by 15.3% compared to the previous year. Globally, air conditioning accounts for about 10% of total annual electricity consumption. The problem is that much of this electricity is still generated from fossil fuels, which in turn exacerbates global warming. Various studies have also found that waste heat expelled outdoors by AC units can raise local air temperatures by several degrees, creating a vicious cycle. Renneboog noted that Europe’s shift towards clean energy is helping to curb emissions, while patterns of energy consumption are also changing.