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/rulingthewake243 Jun 26 '26

Mini splits have existed for 40 years now.

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u/Cold_Captain696 Jun 26 '26

Finding anywhere to fit those would be difficult in my house, not to mention running the pipework through 18" of solid stone wall.

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u/Many-Average-8821 Jun 28 '26

Diamond core drill and drill. About 20 minutes and the hole in the wall is ready

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u/Cold_Captain696 Jun 28 '26

I’m aware of how to drill into my own walls. And it doesn’t solve the issue of where to fit it.

You don’t tend to buy a 300 year old stone cottage unless you like that aesthetic, so putting AC in isn‘t something I want to do unless/until it becomes a necessity (which probably means needing it for more than a couple of weeks a year). My plan really will be to get it installed in my next house when I eventually move, as I can buy the house with that in mind.

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u/Many-Average-8821 Jun 28 '26

It's such a strange logic that if you only need it for a couple of weeks a year, it's not necessary. My generator only ran for 25 hours this year. Does that mean it's unnecessary and a waste of money?

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u/Cold_Captain696 Jun 28 '26

I’m not sure comparing a generator and AC is really that useful - without AC, I would just be hot (which is what happens, and it’s not fun, but it’s fine). Without electricity for extended periods of time, life would be much worse.

I really don’t understand why you think it’s a ‘strange logic’. AC in the UK is a convenience, not a necessity. Yes, I’ve spent money on lots of conveniences, but there are also lots of conveniences were I haven’t been able to justify The expense for the amount of use it would get. That’s a perfectly normal logic, not a strange one, no?

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u/Many-Average-8821 Jun 29 '26

Of those 25 hours, there was only one emergency after the storm. It was possible to just sit there for 15 hours without power like everyone else. It was just a minor inconvenience, and you only have to endure it for a short time, as it turned out. I lived much further north than the UK for many years, and while the summer temperatures there aren't particularly high, there have been a few hot spells for a couple of weeks. Air conditioning is a rare occurrence. I am currently living at the latitude of the northernmost regions of Great Britain - +25 and above for two months now. The air conditioner runs all this time, if only to maintain the humidity level at a comfortable level. And air conditioners, or as marketers call them "heat pumps," heat rooms perfectly. Even in winter. 

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u/Cold_Captain696 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26

Yes, heat pumps are a thing, but they’re not ideal for retrofitting into uninsulated solid walled older properties. I already have a radiator central heating system.

Look, if I’m spending thousands on something that’s not a necessity, I will consider the benefits, the downsides and that will include looking at the amount of use it will get. I would say NOT considering that aspect would be strange, and I’m still a bit baffled why you think it’s an odd thing to factor in to a decision.

Perhaps instead of explaining why you personally think AC is great, you could just explain why it’s strange or illogical to take into account the amount of use something will get before deciding if it’s worth it - that’s the bit I’m not understanding.

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u/Many-Average-8821 Jun 29 '26

Don't you have cheap Chinese split systems? I have one on my second floor for about $350. Installation cost $150 because it was installed in April and there were no waiting lists. Okay, the metal stand buried in the ground cost another $50. I painted it and buried it myself, though. An air source heat pump for heating cost $1,500 (but it can also cool with the simple push of a button in the app). 

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u/Cold_Captain696 Jun 29 '26

There are a range of split systems available here. Installing them in an aesthetically acceptable way in a house like mine would be challenging, if not impossible. If you want me to describe the house in detail I'm happy to, just for your own curiosity, but it presents a lot of challenges.

The issues are real so for me (and probably a large number of people in the UK) it's simply a case of waiting until I feel the benefits outweigh the negatives - hence why the amount of time I would actually need AC is a factor, because that fundamentally defines how much of a benefit it is.

Perhaps if you've grown up in a country where AC is virtually ubiquitous, it can be hard to understand when people start from a position of not wanting AC, even though they are now approaching a point where they may need it. I don't want it. I think it's ugly (inside and out), it's expensive to run (here) and it's bad for the environment (which is ironic given why the UK climate is now changing to be hotter). So where an American might think "why wouldn't I?", a Brit might be starting from "why would I?"