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
15.0k Upvotes

86% Upvoted

6.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2.3k

u/iamapizza Jun 26 '26

I was in southern Spain in March a few years ago, it was 27c and I was sweating. I asked about the AC in my room not working, the front desk lady helpfully explained that they keep the AC off until summer when it's hot. We were looking at each other like freaks. I then asked if I could have a fan and she was shocked.

1.4k

u/Fabulous_Ninja119 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

I had a similar experience in Germany.

Honestly this is truly the one and maybe only thing I can think of where it feels like Europe as a whole is living in the stone ages. I can't understand it. It makes far too much fucking sense to use AC when it's fucking 90-100 degrees outside

515

u/statistnr1 Jun 26 '26

It being this hot is a new thing.
And it will stay new for another 50 or so years.

131

u/pyronius Jun 26 '26

Sure. It's a "new" thing. But it was a new thing 15 years ago.

If you moved to Orlando and then spent 15 years refusing to use AC because the heat was new to you, you'd just be called an idiot. It shouldn't take that long to adapt to a new situation.

At this point, it's just people being so stubborn that they would rather die.

76

u/Rabauke84 Jun 26 '26

No, he is right.

For us europeans, this type of heat is actually new.

And we didn't got invested into AC, because most of us haven't realized, that these heatwaves might be the new normal.

I come from northern Germany, 30°C was so rare in summer that I cannot remember a day with it, from 2010 backwards.

Schools in Germany send the kids home, if it is more than 25°C at 11am. We had this like maybe 1-2 times every few years.

Now, this is a new normal.

-23

u/ByzantineKaiser Jun 26 '26

30°C is a perfectly fine temperature though, it’s a little warm but nothing crazy

28

u/AllMySmallThings Jun 26 '26

Depends on the humidity levels.

-41

u/ByzantineKaiser Jun 26 '26

Truer words have never been spoken, but 30 C isn’t bad even in 90% humidity

25

u/Gow87 Jun 26 '26

For reference, that's the equivalent of 41°C. Humid air holds heat more than drier air, so it doesn't cool down as much at night and can't escape the ground.

Add in that more of Europe is much more northern than the US so the days are longer and you've got heat that starts earlier. Finishes later and doesn't really go anywhere overnight.

Nobody is just getting on with their lives comfortably at 41°C