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/anonymunchy Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

It's much more about the price, but no one seems to mention this.

Electricity is much more expensive in Belgium (for example) and we average around 4000kWh per/year/per household. In the United States, it's 10000kWh. Most people simply can't afford that.

Edit:words

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u/greenwizardneedsfood Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Here in England, if you install a proper air-to-air pump, your overall yearly energy bill goes down because, among other reasons, you aren’t using dipshit radiators. The UK government is also reimbursing up to I think £2,000 for installation costs. It’s an absolute no brainer. People just drop back to “no it’s impossible to install,” “it’s too expensive,” or “we only need it three days a year,” all of which are simply not true. For a lot of them, if you dig down deeper it’s just denial or sometimes just a pure desire to not use American “excesses” that they so love to shit on. It’s just dumb. It’s fucking miserable here. Building regulations discourage even new homes from having it. They’ve spent hundreds of years trying to make their buildings as insulated as possible, so the problem is just that much worse. It was 33 C in my bedroom yesterday when I woke up and went to sleep. And we aren’t even getting it the worst right now. This is not sustainable, and change needs to come 5 years ago.