As Europe sweats through another summer of record-high temperatures, much of the continent is undergoing a rapid and often tense transformation.
Once seen as an American excess or Mediterranean necessity, air conditioning is becoming a fixture of life in places where it was long considered a luxury or even unwelcome. The shift reflects a new climate reality: Extreme heat is no longer rare across much of Europe. It's increasingly the new norm.
Europe might not be prepared to cope. Power grids - many designed for milder climates - are already under strain. On the hottest days, electricity demand spikes and often outpaces what renewables can supply. Governments are now facing a tough question: how to keep their countries cool without driving up emissions or triggering blackouts.
The evolution is apparent in France's Medoc region, where the city of Bordeaux hit a record-high 41.6C (106.9F) this week. Historic buildings like the Chateau Monbrison - a centuries-old wine estate - have been forced to adapt.
This spring, the owners installed air conditioning - discreet Mitsubishi Compact+ units mounted against the exposed stone walls to preserve the chateau's traditional charm.
The trend tracks across Europe. Cooling systems, once reserved for the most scorched parts of Italy and Spain, are an increasingly common sight further north, in places like the Netherlands and the UK.
Residential AC purchases have doubled in Europe since 2010, according to Daikin Industries , one of the continent's biggest manufacturers. Electronics marketplace Galaxus recently reported record sales in Germany and Austria, and Samsung Electronics Co. is boosting its training budget in Europe for AC installations by an average of 10% each year.
France has now overtaken Italy and Spain as the fastest-growing air conditioning market in Europe for Hitachi. Household AC penetration there rose to 25% by 2020, from 14% in 2016, the company said. By 2035, about half of French homes are expected to have a unit.
The boom in business is anchored by a troubling fact: Europe is warming at twice the global average. Cooling degree days - or how often and how intensely buildings require cooling - have more than tripled in Paris over the past two decades, according to data from Eurostat. France's capital now experiences heat comparable to Barcelona in the late 1990s. Berlin's temperatures mirror those historically recorded in Turin. And the climate in Brussels resembles what parts of Croatia were like 25 years ago.
Even countries long considered too cold for cooling are changing their ways. The market for air conditioning in Scandinavia, once tiny, is registering measurable growth.
"Cooling used to be a luxury," said Simon Pezzutto, a researcher who has tracked cooling demand in Europe for over a decade. Today, "it's a commodity of primary necessity."
Governments are searching for a path forward. Austria's latest national energy plan explicitly cites rising cooling demand as a risk to grid stability. France, too, has warned of future peaks during the summer because of unchecked AC use. These aren't theoretical concerns. As a heat wave gripped southern Europe in June, electricity grids in Italy buckled, leading to blackouts in several regions.
"That synchronized spike in demand - sometimes compressed into a matter of hours - puts immense pressure on national grids," said Isabella Nardini, Manager of International Affairs at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies.
Part of the problem relates to consumer preferences. Many shoppers are opting for small, portable units, which are more affordable and easy to install, but less energy-efficient than other models.
Globally, the International Energy Agency says that space cooling already accounts for 10% of electricity consumption in buildings, and Europe's share is only expected to rise. In response, fossil fuel plants - especially gas and coal - are increasingly fired up to meet surging demand.
"Rising air conditioning use is propping up fossil fuel generation during times when renewables underperform," said Sabrina Kernbichler, lead power analyst at Energy Aspects.
Even if Europe's needs are met, adapting the continent's aging building stock poses another logistical challenge. Many older homes were designed to retain heat. That's an advantage in winter, but a problem in today's longer, hotter summers. Every year, only about 1% of buildings are renovated.
Once seen as an American excess or Mediterranean necessity, air conditioning is becoming a fixture of life in places where it was long considered a luxury or even unwelcome. The shift reflects a new climate reality: Extreme heat is no longer rare across much of Europe. It's increasingly the new norm.
Europe might not be prepared to cope. Power grids - many designed for milder climates - are already under strain. On the hottest days, electricity demand spikes and often outpaces what renewables can supply. Governments are now facing a tough question: how to keep their countries cool without driving up emissions or triggering blackouts.
The evolution is apparent in France's Medoc region, where the city of Bordeaux hit a record-high 41.6C (106.9F) this week. Historic buildings like the Chateau Monbrison - a centuries-old wine estate - have been forced to adapt.
This spring, the owners installed air conditioning - discreet Mitsubishi Compact+ units mounted against the exposed stone walls to preserve the chateau's traditional charm.
The trend tracks across Europe. Cooling systems, once reserved for the most scorched parts of Italy and Spain, are an increasingly common sight further north, in places like the Netherlands and the UK.
Residential AC purchases have doubled in Europe since 2010, according to Daikin Industries , one of the continent's biggest manufacturers. Electronics marketplace Galaxus recently reported record sales in Germany and Austria, and Samsung Electronics Co. is boosting its training budget in Europe for AC installations by an average of 10% each year.
France has now overtaken Italy and Spain as the fastest-growing air conditioning market in Europe for Hitachi. Household AC penetration there rose to 25% by 2020, from 14% in 2016, the company said. By 2035, about half of French homes are expected to have a unit.
The boom in business is anchored by a troubling fact: Europe is warming at twice the global average. Cooling degree days - or how often and how intensely buildings require cooling - have more than tripled in Paris over the past two decades, according to data from Eurostat. France's capital now experiences heat comparable to Barcelona in the late 1990s. Berlin's temperatures mirror those historically recorded in Turin. And the climate in Brussels resembles what parts of Croatia were like 25 years ago.
Even countries long considered too cold for cooling are changing their ways. The market for air conditioning in Scandinavia, once tiny, is registering measurable growth.
"Cooling used to be a luxury," said Simon Pezzutto, a researcher who has tracked cooling demand in Europe for over a decade. Today, "it's a commodity of primary necessity."
Governments are searching for a path forward. Austria's latest national energy plan explicitly cites rising cooling demand as a risk to grid stability. France, too, has warned of future peaks during the summer because of unchecked AC use. These aren't theoretical concerns. As a heat wave gripped southern Europe in June, electricity grids in Italy buckled, leading to blackouts in several regions.
"That synchronized spike in demand - sometimes compressed into a matter of hours - puts immense pressure on national grids," said Isabella Nardini, Manager of International Affairs at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies.
Part of the problem relates to consumer preferences. Many shoppers are opting for small, portable units, which are more affordable and easy to install, but less energy-efficient than other models.
Globally, the International Energy Agency says that space cooling already accounts for 10% of electricity consumption in buildings, and Europe's share is only expected to rise. In response, fossil fuel plants - especially gas and coal - are increasingly fired up to meet surging demand.
"Rising air conditioning use is propping up fossil fuel generation during times when renewables underperform," said Sabrina Kernbichler, lead power analyst at Energy Aspects.
Even if Europe's needs are met, adapting the continent's aging building stock poses another logistical challenge. Many older homes were designed to retain heat. That's an advantage in winter, but a problem in today's longer, hotter summers. Every year, only about 1% of buildings are renovated.
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