Europe is facing a tough winter, as inflation and energy prices continue to rise. The continent also faces tough decisions following its scorching hot summer.
Heat waves in Europe broke records, sparked widespread wildfires and even damaged a busy runway at a London airport.
Unlike the U.S., European countries don’t rely on air conditioning to cope with high temperatures. Fewer than 10% of households in Europe owned air conditioners as of 2016, according to the International Energy Agency.
“If we were looking at the beginning of this summer, it was fairly quiet. We were getting typically 20 inquiries a day maybe for people interested in air conditioning,” said Richard Salmon, director of The Air Conditioning Co., which is based in central London.
Demand for air conditioners spiked as temperatures crossed 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the United Kingdom.
“I’ve been here for 15 years and I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” Salmon said.
As countries around the globe rapidly adopt ways to cool their homes and businesses, it becomes more important to install cooling technology that doesn’t contribute to higher temperatures in the future via carbon emissions.
“It is clear that if no effective mitigation strategies will be put in place on a global scale to cut emissions then this kind of summer and these kinds of events will become the new norm,” said Andrea Toreti, senior climate researcher at the European Commission, the executive body of the EU.
Watch the video to learn more about why large parts of Europe don’t have air conditioning, how ACs contribute to climate change, and new kinds of efficient cooling technologies that can mitigate carbon emissions.
» Subscribe to CNBC:
» Subscribe to CNBC TV:
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news:
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn:
Follow CNBC News on Facebook:
Follow CNBC News on Twitter:
Follow CNBC News on Instagram:
#CNBC
Why Europe Faces An Air Conditioning Problem After Its Red-Hot Summer
source
Let EU enjoy their energy policies
bro 100⁰ isn't that bad lol we had 112⁰ last year in my state and we get multiple 100⁰ days and nobody freaks out, its actually a good thing people want it to break record temps
I don't understand – ductless mini splits are exceptionally efficient when cooling. But efficiency peaks when they slow their compressors when the setpoint has been reached. If it's 44C outside they are running at max.
Are you saying that in order to dehumidify more – people are setting them too colder temps?
If it's 44C outside they are likely running on max anyways.
If u cant handle the heat dont come to Texas that's for sure lol
Where I'm from canada everyone has air-conditioning but we don't always need it lol
Heat pumps are more efficient than electric resistive heaters, heat pumps are even more efficient than natural gas.
Eropeans dont even have AC
Only 104? Yall Europeans always been weaklings even all the way back to WW2. It's over 100 in Cali 8 months out of the year… we are fine.
Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis ‘ -by Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, 2020.
As early as 34 years ago, in 1987, GPDC received a similar message from the Creator. JUDGEMENT UPON HUMAN BEINGS HAS BEGUN, ALTHOUGH DOOMSDAY IS OVER.
This Judgement affects nature in the entire world. For instance, temperatures would change from cold to hot and hot to cold, floods, accidents involving fire, earthquakes and diseases which are unexpected and incurable. FOR ALL THESE TO AN END HUMANS NEED TO APOLOGY FOR ALL WRONG DOING AND HELP EACH OTHER AND COME TO ONE OUR CREATOR , CREATOR OF WHOLE UNIVERSE ( NON RELIGION) https://youtu.be/ljxiuSqX1Jo NEW 2022
Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis ‘ -by Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, 2020.
As early as 34 years ago, in 1987, GPDC received a similar message from the Creator. JUDGEMENT UPON HUMAN BEINGS HAS BEGUN, ALTHOUGH DOOMSDAY IS OVER.
This Judgement affects nature in the entire world. For instance, temperatures would change from cold to hot and hot to cold, floods, accidents involving fire, earthquakes and diseases which are unexpected and incurable. FOR ALL THESE TO AN END HUMANS NEED TO APOLOGY FOR ALL WRONG DOING AND HELP EACH OTHER AND COME TO ONE OUR CREATOR , CREATOR OF WHOLE UNIVERSE ( NON RELIGION) https://youtu.be/ljxiuSqX1Jo NEW 2022
Shame on you for not providing Celsius conversions
Cooling.
Water base air-conditioning, cooling and dehumidifier. Energy: fan + small water pump.
Refrigerator back side, washing machine, stove -> outside.
Heating.
Fireplace with circular exhaust around the house.
Refrigerator & stove inside, washing time on late afternoon.
One eruption on mount Fiji will eclipse all emissions for decades!
On windows, which open like a door, something like a window A/C cannot be installed at all. And that's the case in 95% of Europa.
You have to drill a huge whole in the wall (3inch wide or so) to install a split-device; engine outside, fan inside.
Putting Norway and Spain in one Pot and compute the average gives kind of nonsense Results. Are Airconditions normal in Alaska ? They hardly ever have over 26C/80F. And this summer was not at all extrem hot, it was extremly dry, almost the driest in history.
If A/C are necessary, they can easily be run on Solar, cause you need them only when sun is shining. That's a perfect match.
I feel people living in northern europe are crying too much because the heat does not last there 2-3 weeks tops… and you do not need ac to live… in hospitals, elderly homes, and such facilities, ok, but come on, by using ac justnto be comfy you are cleaning a wound with a translucid acid… making it all worse.
This is kinda rich. Miami probably has much more of an impact air conditioning wise than probably the whole of Europe.
Glad we have a coal power plant as is more reliable than any green power plant.
Stfu Europe, and get used to the heat. Much love -usa
mobile AC entered the chat!!!
A strong, strategically placed sudden solar flare and out-gassing from the sun, and we won't need to worry about AC/climate change/solar panels 🙂 I'm sure some will claim it was human induced solar flares…
That's part of the process to turn the Earth into the Mars.
so that's why Europeans smell so bad
So everybody using electric motors to run their Air Conditioners is destroying the planet, but everyone using electric motors in their cars will save it….
You can’t beat thermodynamics,
The only way to remove humidity from the air is to create a surface temperature differential to induce condensation.
Whether you use a a standard Peltier device aka a dehumidifier or a refrigerant cycle.
That’s the reality.
If it gets below the balance point, a good old gas furnace is a beautiful thing.
This whole piece is biased.
I live in southern Brazil in the city of Curitiba, about 1.000 meters altitude. It used to be ok in the summer but for the last 20 years it's been almost impossible to live without A/C in the summer. And Curitiba is the coldest capital in the country.
NICE.🛷 Say to All European Union people they will pay 20 times more for heating up the house next winter, food prices will go 10 times higher, sell your car if you own one and house do not buy anything and stop going out, the big one is coming.🪄 “You can blame rising gasoline prices, rising electricity prices, rising heating gas prices, rising food prices on Putin. Not the economic sanctions European privileged leaders imposed on Russia” ROME (AP) — Prices for food commodities like grains and vegetable oils reached their highest levels ever last month largely because of the “Economic Sanctions Impose on Russia” by the European Union, UK, USA and CANADA the “massive supply disruptions” is, threatening millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere with hunger and malnourishment, the United Nations said Friday
The only thing we can’t do is spawn and have way more babies as humans, its not like we have a choice.
How long have we been keeping accurate records of temps. 1850? Hotted day on record is not saying much
Global warming is a hoax.
An actual in depth look into a real issue from a major news outlet? Did someone buy NBC?
Climate change is going to wipe out white people. The hotter it gets the more dark skinned heat tolerant race will take over.
Even minnesota has 104 degree summers the solar maximum is coming in 2025 so it's only going to get hotter
So because someone don't like ac units my baby will die from heat stroke uhm now ill just pass off those people . Not a tough decision.
fake news