Europe is in the grips of an unusually hot summer and few residents there have air conditioning. Given the ubiquity of AC in the US, I was a bit puzzled at first. Why wouldn’t Europeans have embraced this essential (to many of us) technology?
It occurred me that some European cities are farther north than many US cities. I had a vague idea about London’s latitude, but not much more. A brief search was all it took:
There’s the answer, right there on the map. Most of those cities likely have never needed the AC so common here.
A CNN article provided further explanations:
… nearly 90% of US homes have air conditioning, in Europe it’s around 20%.
Energy costs in many European countries are higher than in the US, while incomes tend to be lower.
In England, which has just endured its hottest June on record, one in six homes were built before 1900.
It can be harder to outfit older homes with central cooling systems, although far from impossible …
UK authorities will often reject applications to install AC “on the basis of the visual appearance of the outdoor condenser unit, especially in conservation areas or on listed buildings …”
Not only are air conditioners energy guzzlers, but they also push heat outside. A study looking at AC use in Paris found they could increase the outside temperature between about 2 and 4 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 7.2 Fahrenheit). This impact is especially severe in Europe’s generally dense cities.
So what kind of heat are we talking about? Although the latest heat dome is moving east out of Europe, heat warnings were still in place Friday. France expected to peak at 102°-106°F. Germany was preparing for 97°-106°F. Southeast England, 96.8°F. Much of Spain, 100°F.
In comparison, the normal summer temperature range in Europe is 65°-82°F.
I’d have been looking for my AC before it hit 80°F outside. And currently, it’s 95°F here in Greater Denver. I see a lot of power outages on the power company’s map …
Global warming? What global warming?
Ain’t it the truth ?! 🙁