Far more people die from the heat in Europe than the U.S., even though America is generally hotter in summer. That’s because Europeans are much less likely to have air conditioning. More people die of overheating in Europe than die in the U.S. from homicide and overheating combined.
But in some European countries, people are finally getting air conditioning. “The number of homes in the UK with air conditioning has doubled over the past three years, reaching an estimated 4 million,” reports The Doomslayer.
The Guardian reports:
An estimated 4m homes in the UK now have air conditioning, double the figure from three years ago as Britons complain of ‘unliveable’ conditions during high temperatures.
Portable units with power ratings around 1kW are slightly more common than the more powerful built-in versions that can guzzle 2.7kW of power – more than an electric oven.
Experts suggest the increase in ownership is the result of more people working from home and rising summer temperatures. Some of the UK’s warmest summers have been in recent years, and the UK’s hottest day was in July 2022, when temperatures hit 40C [104 degrees Fahrenheit].
AI Overview explains:
Significantly more people die from heat in Europe than in the U.S. Estimates show that extreme heat claims over 175,000 lives annually in the WHO European Region, compared to roughly 1,300 annual heat-related deaths in the U.S. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]Even when adjusted for Europe’s larger population, the per-capita rate of heat deaths is roughly 20 to 28 times higher than in the U.S. [1, 2]Several factors contribute to this disparity:
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Air Conditioning: In the U.S., approximately 90% of households have air conditioning, whereas air conditioning in Europe remains much less common, with market penetration around only 20%.
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Aging Population: Europe has a high proportion of elderly residents, who are the most vulnerable to extreme heat events.
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Infrastructure: European homes and public buildings are historically built to trap heat for the winter, and many are not constructed to ventilate or cool during summer heat waves.
Moreover, “significantly more people die from extreme heat in Europe than from homicides in the United States. Heat in Europe is a massive, deadly issue that claims tens of thousands of lives each year, completely dwarfing the U.S. annual homicide rate of roughly 20,000 to 25,000 victims.”
In the U.S., air conditioners and refrigerant cost more than they used to, due to Biden-era regulations.
But at least in the U.S. you can just install air conditioning when you need it, and don’t need to get a special permit or doctor’s prescription just to install it. By contrast, in certain European cities like Geneva or Zurich, “for a permanent, fixed AC system, you generally need a special permit, and in some cases, a medical certificate is required.”
