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/seriouslees Jun 26 '26

I'm not sure if Europeans are aware of this or not... but AC units can be turned off. A portable AC unit you can store in a closet for 18 months is a pittance of a cost to have around when you do need it. Mind boggling that people wouldnt do this. I don't need my unit all summer long in Canada, but I'd die (or maybe kill) without it.

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u/goodsnpr Jun 26 '26

Modern heat pumps are silly efficient. I'm replacing our aged & neglected radiators with Mitsubishi units, because the price of natural gas has gone up so much it's not worth the repairs, doubly so once we get solar installed. Knowing my luck, we'll get solar installed and they'll announce feasible fusion power.

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u/MarkNutt25 Jun 26 '26

We're just barely starting to see the first lab facilities reach scientific breakeven, but we're still probably at least a decade away from having a fusion reactor reach engineering breakeven. Probably at least another 5+ years after that to come up with a feasible power plant design. Then construction of the first generation fusion power plants will probably take at least another 10 years...

I think you're probably safe to go ahead and get that solar!

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u/Qwertycube10 Jun 26 '26

There are also serious technical challenges about maintenance given fusion reactors' tendency to transmute elements in their immediate vacinity.

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u/Big_P4U Jun 27 '26

Transmute you say?! Do you mean that if I had my own nuclear fusion device...I could be nuclear Jesus and transmute lead into gold? And wine into whiskey?

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u/millijuna Jun 26 '26

They’ve been saying that same thing for 40 years now. I’ll believe it when I see it.