Key Takeaways
Europeans are telling pollsters that air conditioning is more important than reducing carbon dioxide emissions, as thousands have died during the heat waves this summer without adequate temperature control.
93% of households in the United States have air conditioning, but percentages are much lower in Europe, with 63% in Italy having AC and only 11% in the UK.
Adding air conditioning to homes and businesses means more electricity will be necessary at a time when Europe is pushing to electrify more aspects of its economy.
More air conditioning would also require a stronger grid, but Europe has been pursuing climate policies that have made the grid less robust and more expensive, increasingly relying on intermittent wind and solar.
According to a poll of six countries conducted by the Guardian, 61% to 73% of those surveyed said air conditioning (AC) should be standard in new homes. The poll surveyed people in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain in mid-July and the U.K. in early August. The poll also found that 65% to 75% of those surveyed wanted easier approval for AC installation, and 52% to 66% supported subsidies to help homeowners with the economics. According to the Guardian, as temperatures approached or topped 104 degrees Fahrenheit, 30% to 52% of respondents said they feared for their household’s health, as thousands of deaths resulted from four European heatwaves this summer. More people favored expanding AC use (35% to 48%) than prioritizing reductions in carbon dioxide emissions (20% to 32%), though percentages varied by country, as noted below.
Air conditioning is much less widespread in Europe than in the United States, as many European countries have older homes that aren’t conducive to AC installation, and many are in northern areas that don’t experience constant heat waves. In the United States, 93% of people have a central or portable AC system. In the Guardian poll, AC ownership in Europe varied by country: 63% in Italy, 58% in Spain, 30% in France, 16% in Germany, 23% in Poland, and 11% in the U.K. For households without AC, expense was the main obstacle, with the Guardian reporting that 51% to 75% of respondents cited cost as the main reason they did not have AC. For those with AC in Italy, France, and Spain, 14% to 17% of owners said cost prevented them from using it as much as they needed, while 28% to 38% indicated they had to cut back elsewhere because they used AC frequently.
Air conditioning needs reliable electricity generation that doesn’t depend on the sun or the wind. But Europe continues to bring online solar and wind facilities while shutting down more reliable sources. New wind power capacity in Europe reached 8.8 gigawatts in the first half of 2026, about 30% higher than a year earlier. Over the first 6 months of 2026, Germany led wind capacity additions, installing 3.4 gigawatts. Denmark, Poland, Portugal, France and Ukraine all installed wind capacity. WindEurope now expects Europe to install 24 gigawatts of new capacity by the end of 2026, ramping up towards installing 30 gigawatts a year in the 2030s. It expects Europe to install 436 gigawatts of wind capacity by 2030, of which 342 gigawatts would be in the EU, representing 27% of EU electricity demand by 2030. The ramp-up depends on fixing structural problems in permitting, grids, and electrification.
While Germany is leading the way in wind, it has been plagued by periods of low or no wind, called Dunkelflaute, or the dark doldrums. In 2024, Dunkelflaute led to a surge in German and European electricity prices as backup power fueled by coal or natural gas was needed to replace the non-existent wind power, causing gas to be withdrawn from storage. In early November of that year, Germany’s hourly power price for the peak hours surged to as much as 900 euros ($967) per megawatt-hour. Poland’s grid operator called for a state of emergency.
Solar power in Europe is hitting records, generating 52 terawatt-hours of electricity and supplying 25% of the EU’s electricity in June, compared with nuclear (21%), gas (15%), wind (14%), hydro (12%), and coal (8%). But that amount of solar power comes with system problems. Its 115% rise since 2020 is reshaping Europe’s electricity prices and changing how power markets work.
Europe must now integrate networks, build storage capacity, and run complex markets, as too much solar without adequate storage can drive wholesale prices negative. Instead of being paid for their power, generators have to pay the market to take their power. Then, when solar output drops during cloudy spells, fossil fuel plants must ramp up, increasing emissions per unit of power generated compared to plants that operate at consistent levels, which can also lead to more frequent and costly plant maintenance. It can also increase price volatility and overall system stress, making the grid more vulnerable to outages and further cost increases.
Conclusion
Europeans are telling their policymakers that air conditioning matters more than reducing carbon dioxide emissions, as thousands died during this summer’s heat waves without adequate temperature control. While 93% of households in the United States have air conditioning, percentages are much lower in Europe, with 63% in Italy having AC and only 11% in the UK. More air conditioning increases the need for more reliable electricity. Europeans have been adding intermittent solar and wind energy, whose output varies with the wind and the sun, causing system problems and requiring more expensive storage capacity. The system can also cause price volatility and higher emissions when coal or gas plants must ramp up.
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