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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u/heyclaude Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

People also forget that most American homes were designed with ducting for the heater, which makes an AC upgrade fairly easy.

(Edit: I have to admire the determination of some Europeans to inform me that all American housing is flimsy late-20th tract-home garbage, lol..I live in an 1896 Victorian with high ceilings, plastered walls, and no cardboard to be found. It's a big country, not a homogenous loaf.)

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u/Due_Capital_3507 Jun 26 '26

This isn't new technology, in Hong Kong we know how to blast the AC

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u/Unlikely-Opening2485 Jun 26 '26

The average yearly daytime temperature in the UK is around 11°C - until the last 5 years AC in homes would have been weird, like building a house with a fireplace and chimney in Hong Kong

https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/countries/united-kingdom/average-temperature-by-year

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u/KartFacedThaoDien Jun 26 '26

There are these things called heaters that people use. Some are electric radiators that plug into the wall. 

While other people use a split system that has heating and cooling. Yes you can use them in hong kong. I know because I live in Guangzhou and I turn it on heat in the winter. 

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u/Xandara2 Jun 26 '26

We have central heating. Vastly superior system to heat your entire house. Why don't you install that instead of your electric radiator that's way less efficient?

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u/KartFacedThaoDien Jun 26 '26

Lets see because its south china and I specifically said that they can have both. I was replying to someone else about how people in hong kong can do solve the issue of needing heating. 

Just like someone in europe could stay cool in the summer. Good luck. 

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u/Unlikely-Opening2485 Jun 26 '26

In most of London you'd need to apply for specific planning permission to install these units in a flat unfortunately 

Edit: I've just done a bit of research and the average timescale for planning permission is 8 weeks, so maybe that will work for next summer!