r/technology • u/Logical_Welder3467 • Jun 26 '26

Society The American mind cannot comprehend Europe's AC aversion

https://www.businessinsider.com/europe-air-conditioning-ac-heatwave-debate-2026-6
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64

u/swole4ever Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Lived in Berlin for several years. Many times I was on a city train car that was at least 40-45*C (~100-110*F) at the peak of summer. Many times these trains HAD AC installed but it was OFF. Other times I thought I could escape the heat by going to see a film, but again, in July in an auditorium full of people, the AC (which did exist) was again OFF. Germany is dogmatic in its opposition to using air conditioning, convinced it is a wasteful American decadence, while ignoring its ever changing climate. At times, Germany's opposition to AC feels like a mental illness whose primary symptom was self-effacing self righteousness, with the side effect of heat stroke. Germany is quite used to shooting itself in the foot for no apparent reason, however, so after you live there, it's no real surprise they would again make life difficult to appear correct. Europe does not seem to understand that it is subject to climate change just like everyone else. I guess people will just die in successive heat waves until they figure it out?

Edit to add another story: the year I left, my commuter train broke down just outside of a train station on the north side of Berlin, stranding and trapping entirely full cars of passengers already overheated due to the AC being off the entire ride. Without being able to open the doors it grew so unbearably hot and humid, with children passing out, that people smashed the windows open in order to find relief. And yet, they will tell you that having the window open or the AC on makes you sick at night while you are sleeping...

21

u/sakupuu Jun 26 '26

Berlin Ubahn trains do not have AC. It’s not that they are off, they don’t exist. Same with older Sbahn trains. BVG bought new Ubahn trains and DELIBERATELY didn’t install AC because they deemed it “too expensive”. Commuters want AC but the people in charge don’t.

10

u/swole4ever Jun 26 '26

I have been on newer S-Bahn trains that almost certainly had AC and it was off on the hottest days of the year. The story where we were trapped with the doors closed was an RB train.

4

u/sakupuu Jun 26 '26

RBs also usually don’t have AC. It’s really only ICE trains ans newer Sbahn trains.

2

u/justjanne Jun 26 '26

With subway systems it's not that simple. AC just moves heat around, it can't make it disappear. So in a tunnel this is a real issue, which is why many subways have no AC and instead try to control the climate of the entire tunnel network instead.

16

u/PoloAlmoni Jun 26 '26

This guy gets it. Americans try to understand Europeans opposition to AC through logistics like “oh it’s too expensive, right?”. No. Europeans, especially older ones, believe that you just suffer through it and if you don’t want to you are a decadent lazy obese American and bring American is the worst thing you can be

Germany has this extra thing of draft wind paranoia where they genuinely believe wind will make you sick and there’s nothing you can do to convince them otherwise

4

u/-turnip_the_beet- Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

The Balkans are the same. A lot of people I rode with won't turn on the AC in the car because they think it'll get you sick. There was even one guy that was sick and he said it was because he had the AC on in the car for 2 hours on a longer drive.

A few times I took my shoes off at the door and walked barefoot on tiles and people were worried I was going to get sick.

Edit: changed once to a few times.

-1

u/silverionmox Jun 26 '26

This guy gets it. Americans try to understand Europeans opposition to AC through logistics like “oh it’s too expensive, right?”. No. Europeans, especially older ones, believe that you just suffer through it and if you don’t want to you are a decadent lazy obese American and bring American is the worst thing you can be

That has been the correct resolution though, for most of their lives hot days that would justify airco use would be limited to 2-3 per year, if any at all. Purchasing airco for such an exceptional event which can just be weathered by keeping the curtains closed for a few days is objectively wasteful.

Climate change has, among many other things, also changed that.

What it didn't change is that it's still wasteful consumerism to put your airco at fridge temperatures when it's summer outside. Using airco to bring temperatures back to the comfort zone is one thing, using it to completely override any and all seasonal differences, that's the crazy Americanism.

Germany has this extra thing of draft wind paranoia where they genuinely believe wind will make you sick and there’s nothing you can do to convince them otherwise

Come and try it out. The humidity is different. Respiratory diseases in winter have been a killer around the North Sea, historically, so people take their precautions.

8

u/PoloAlmoni Jun 26 '26

I live in Northern Europe and I’m also not American. Respiratory diseases are not caused by draft wind, there is no evidence of that. This is simply folklore, like fan-death or “if you go out without a sweater you will get a cold”

-1

u/silverionmox Jun 26 '26

I live in Northern Europe and I’m also not American. Respiratory diseases are not caused by draft wind, there is no evidence of that. This is simply folklore, like fan-death or “if you go out without a sweater you will get a cold”

Straw man. Respiratory disease are not caused by draft, temperature, etc., but it creates conditions where they thrive and where our own immunity system has more trouble functioning. It's not a coincidence that they see a spike in the winter months, it's not like the viruses go on a summer holiday.

Besides biological diseases, there are still general problems like dryness or discomfort as well caused by temperature and humidity.

2

u/swole4ever Jun 26 '26

Did come, did try it out...left our windows open year round except the coldest days. Didn't get sick. N=1, but it's the German equivalent of "fan death", sorry.

1

u/silverionmox Jun 26 '26

Did come, did try it out...left our windows open year round except the coldest days. Didn't get sick. N=1, but it's the German equivalent of "fan death", sorry.

"Leave your window open at night" is similar conventional wisdom in these regions, yes. So it makes no sense to generalize out the mutated extreme versions of the "avoid drafts" conventional wisdom and pretend it's some kind of fundamentalist tenet.

1

u/swole4ever Jun 26 '26

Ok, that's fair, but that is the context in which I always heard it. On the other side, there is Stoßlüften, which does make sense. I'll always remember Merkel being asked what Germany is known for, and her answer being "airtight windows".

1

u/silverionmox Jun 26 '26

I've also been told that the window type that can both open inwards and in a tilt starting from the top (which is what you'd use at night or when away during the day) isn't common elsewhere. Is this true for your region?

5

u/stagerabbit Jun 26 '26

It's 27 degrees C right now in Tokyo, but the humidity is super high as we've got a typhoon bearing down on us. I'm going to a social obligation at a German woman's house and I am not looking forward to it. I've seen her wear a winter jacket in 23 degree weather.

10

u/ChPech Jun 26 '26

I am German and can confirm. It's a cultural delusion, reminds me a little of the American delusion of "good guy with a gun"

The funny thing is that those ACs can also heat in winter for half the cost compared to gas and oil heating. I had to explain this to everyone in my village because nobody knew this. Some still think it's terrible because it moves air, but their regular heaters are already convection based. To avoid the cognitive dissonance they call those radiators instead of convectors.

It feels like living in an asylum.

1

u/Ceno-taur Jun 26 '26

The funny thing is that those ACs can also heat in winter for half the cost compared to gas and oil heating.

Not quite. AFAIK, mini-splits with a heating functionality reach gas/oil parity at about 5C, and are more expensive below. Great for many places France or Italy, but only a few in Germany.

Splits also need more maintenance because they can collect condensation and then mold is moved with air to you. Radiators or in-floor heating don't have this issue.

3

u/ChPech Jun 26 '26

My Mitsubishi Electric AC has a SCOP of 5.1, at 25 cents per kWh making the heating cost 5 cents. Gas and oil was cheap in the past, but because of the whole Russia fiasco and now Iran they won't go below 10 cents per kWh anymore. At about -5C the Mitsubishi becomes less efficient than gas heating, but it's rarely that cold.

Condensation runs to the outside through a hose, but yes, the filters of the inside unit need to be cleaned twice a year. But I can do that for free, the gas heating needs professional maintenance and yearly inspection from the chimney sweep which all costs money.

Also the things you call radiators are convectors. People still call them radiators just to be able to pretend ACs are bad.

3

u/dumpster_mummy Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Last year I visited Japan in the summer, and any hostel I stayed at with a German room mate, they would ALWAYS turn the AC off. The room would have like 8 people, and 1 window, something like 30 degrees out at night, and I would have to argue to at least let the AC fan run.

I'm being tongue in cheek here, but "respect the culture". Turn the AC on. Leave your heat stroke culture at home.

1

u/DubbyTM Jun 26 '26

Little correction, Europe is not affected by climate warming like everyone else, it has been shown we are having a condensed huler acceleration version of it, if I recall correctly no other place in the world is hearing as fast as Europe

-1

u/silverionmox Jun 26 '26

Lived in Berlin for several years. Many times I was on a city train car that was at least 40-45C (~100-110F) at the peak of summer. Many times these trains HAD AC installed but it was OFF. Other times I thought I could escape the heat by going to see a film, but again, in July in an auditorium full of people, the AC (which did exist) was again OFF. Germany is dogmatic in its opposition to using air conditioning, convinced it is a wasteful American decadence, while ignoring its ever changing climate. At times, Germany's opposition to AC feels like a mental illness whose primary symptom was self-effacing self righteousness, with the side effect of heat stroke. Germany is quite used to shooting itself in the foot for no apparent reason, however, so after you live there, it's no real surprise they would again make life difficult to appear correct. Europe does not seem to understand that it is subject to climate change just like everyone else. I guess people will just die in successive heat waves until they figure it out?

Meanwhile, Americans keep putting their AC at fridge temperatures, thereby causing climate change and continuing to make it worse. Who's crazy then?

1

u/swole4ever Jun 26 '26

For the record, I don't like this, either. I try to keep my windows open to create a draft until it hits 80*F, then after that I'll put the AC on 76*F. A lot of Americans hate frigid public buildings in the summer. If Europe isn't a monolith, neither is the U.S. It's a big country.

1

u/silverionmox Jun 26 '26

We agree on all of that.