Extreme heat has made air-con a political hot topic

The heatwave gripping Europe has reignited a political debate about air conditioning.

So what? Welcome to the latest front in the culture wars. Just 20% of European homes have air conditioning, compared with 90% in the US and Japan. In the UK the proportion is just 5%. The argument about whether to equip more houses with cooling units is split between

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  those on the left, who worry about more emissions; and

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  those on the right, who see these concerns as net-zero nonsense.

Inherently cool. Unlike the US, homes in southern Europe are made to withstand heat. They have thick walls, small windows and shutters, often combined with white paint and tiled floors.

New normal. These traditional designs are being put to the test by climate change, which is heating Europe faster than any continent. Many new-builds lack these features, which are also absent in the north, where homes are designed to trap warmth instead of letting it escape.

Cases in point. In the UK, which yesterday experienced its hottest June day, the Climate Change Committee warns that 92% homes are at risk of overheating by 2050 because they are “built for a climate that no longer exists”. In France, which recorded its hottest day, temperatures on the 19th-century zinc roofs of Paris reached a searing 80C.

Quelle horreur. The French generally frown upon air conditioning as a vulgar US extravagance. But Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally party has promised “a massive air-conditioning plan” if she becomes president, starting with hospitals, care homes and schools. Her hard-left rival Jean-Luc Mélenchon responded that installing energy-intensive cooling units “would only mean increasing the damage” done by climate change.

Blighty. A similar divide is emerging in the UK. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to scrap rules encouraging developers to use trees, shading and ventilation instead of air conditioning – part of her broader assault on net-zero policies aimed at averting climate breakdown. Yesterday, her shadow energy secretary claimed the UK has an “air-con ban”. 

It doesn’t. Most British homes do not need planning permission for air conditioning. But it is true that conservation rules make it difficult to install units on historically important buildings.

Bottom line. Cost may also be putting people off: electricity prices in the UK and EU are roughly double those in the US, where salaries are also much higher.

The toll. According to the World Health Organization, extreme heat kills 175,000 people a year in Europe, a continent with a lot of vulnerable old people. A strong El Niño means this summer and next are expected to be especially hot.

AC saves lives. A study from 2016 found that deaths on hot days in the US had dropped by 75% since 1960, when air conditioning started to be used. Another, from 2021, found air conditioning prevented the deaths of almost 200,000 older people globally in 2019 alone.

But hurts the planet. Air conditioning accounts for 3% of global carbon emissions, more than aviation, and guzzles 7% of the world’s electricity. Since the units dump heat outside, they also increase outdoor temperatures, an effect that’s particularly strong in dense European cities.

Bright side. Europe now gets much of its electricity from clean sources, especially during the summer, when air conditioners are switched on. Last week fossil fuels generated just 36% of British energy, and Spain’s grid frequently runs on solar alone. As a result, air conditioning may not cost the earth if it becomes widespread.

What’s more… This is down to net-zero policies, which Badenoch wants to scrap.

Photograph by Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Getty Images