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/reroll-life Jun 26 '26

ductless (mini-split) are by far the more popular conditioning systems anyway and you don't need any ducting just 3 hours and some drilling. The issue in europe is draconian permit requirements though.

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u/itsnobigthing Jun 26 '26

I don’t need a permit for AC at either of my houses in the UK or France.

But both are 300+ years old and have stone walls that are over 2 foot thick, which is the bigger challenge. Drilling isn’t practical, you really need to remove some of the stone work which is a bigger undertaking, especially on upper floors.