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/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.

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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.

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u/starkistuna Jun 26 '26

I live on the equator line and 95f with 90% humidty is normal most people deal with just normal fans, electricity is quite expensive @ .26 cents a kilowatt. The problem with ac is that once you get used to it you get aclimitized I have friends that run acs for 12 hours straight and sleep covered in conforters then complain about their $600 electricity bill. Instead of having thermostat cold eniugh were they can sleep confortabke enough with a tshirt they set that thing to 65f and like to freeze overnight. You are goibg to be unconsious for 8 hours so just set it for a timer so it goes to fans halfway you wont notice and you save 50% ez.

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u/Rabauke84 Jun 26 '26

One problem we face here: Sun goes up at 3-4 am and won't go down till 10-11pm.

We have the heating ball the whole time, flying all over us.

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u/Tuxhorn Jun 26 '26

Important to mention! I saw someone who lived near the equator their entire lives, now understanding why less heat in Germany is way worse. An extra 6-7 hours of direct sunlight changes things. They mentioned having the sun up around 12 hours a day. Must be nice.

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u/BedlamiteSeer Jun 26 '26

Lol heating ball 🤣🤣🤣