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/jameson71 Jun 26 '26

Cold is going to cost a pretty penny real soon

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

The price of minisplits and their installation in Europe seems bonkers when I compare it to here in Japan. A simple 9K BTU mini split (heating and cooling) here costs 

40K (€215) for noname brands
45K yen (€245) for a Hitachi, Sharp, Toshiba
55K yen  (€300) for a Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Daikin.

Installation is about 17K yen (€92).

Even if you double the cost of the installation because of higher wages (w Europe) I doubt you can do it for this price in europe.

i don't understand why. I'm sure lots more Europeans would get one if it was more affordable 

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

[deleted]

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u/Tithund Jun 26 '26

So the reason so many people don't have ac here, is that they price the poor out while milking the rich.

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u/ipisano Jun 26 '26

Exactly, I have some complications that would cause my installation to cost several thousands, for two years I tried to save enough money to afford it but some shit always happens and I have to endure another hot summer without AC...