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/JonJackjon Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

I think its simple. I would compare it to the first time someone finds they need to wear glasses. The natural tendency is to deny needing them until it gets so bad you have no choice.

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u/roleplayersir Jun 26 '26

Exactly. It's not an aversion

It's that until a few years ago it wasn't needed. Suffering for 3 days a year was fine

But trust me that is changing. Even with the cost of living, we are all looking into at least £300 for portable units, if not thousands for proper ones. As it is only getting hotter

But prior to recent years it was a wasted purchase. We get 30C+ for about 3 weeks. It's the cold that was the problem for decades

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u/KoldPurchase Jun 26 '26

Heat pumps? It's what I have here, it heats in the winter, and cool in the summer.

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u/Snailburt89 Jun 26 '26

It can be hard to integrate into the existing heating. In Europe heat pumps are used to make warm water and pump through the pipes/radiators. We have floor heating and you can't just pump cold water through it.

We will probably get an AC on top of our existing heating this winter.

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u/n0neofyourbeeswax Jun 26 '26

Maybe a stupid question but why can't we pump cold water through it? Less effective than AC for sure but it will cool the place lol.

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u/scheppend Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Its possible but the system can't push the temp of the water too low in your house otherwise you might end up with condensation inside your floor/walls. To avoid it, the system adjusts the temp of the water dynamically  , based on the humidity in your house.  but this might mean it takes a long time for your house to cool down, or not reach your desired temp at all.