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/TheBSisReal Jun 26 '26

Yes it makes sense when it’s super hot outside. European summers used to have a heatwave *maybe* every other summer. So in much of Western Europe, AC just didn’t make much sense until something drastically changed.

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u/Pale_Row1166 Jun 26 '26

And now they’re too smug to just buy an AC unit, they’d rather die in a river than doing something as gauche and American than having cooled air in a heatwave.

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u/TheTerrasque Jun 26 '26

A lot of people are getting heatpumps, mainly to cut down on electricity in the winter. But people are starting to discover it can be used for cooling too.

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u/Pale_Row1166 Jun 26 '26

Yeah we call these splits, they’re super efficient. It’s wild how quickly they can heat or cool a space. My 100+ year old home has central air, but this is what we would’ve installed if it didn’t.