Europe's heatwave crisis meets China's 'AC freedom'

Europe has been gripped by an intense June heatwave. Temperatures in France, Germany, Spain, and other countries have soared to 39–41°C and beyond, breaking multiple June records. The extreme conditions have resulted in heat-related health incidents, power disruptions, closures of schools and tourist sites, and businesses adjusting schedules. Retailers saw fans and portable air conditioners sell out rapidly, highlighting Europe's "air conditioning shortage."

Europe has long maintained low air conditioning adoption, with only about 20 percent of households owning AC units. Many buildings were designed primarily to retain heat for cold winters rather than facilitate cooling in summer. Strict regulations on installation, along with high energy prices and environmental standards, have compounded the challenges.

As demand surged, Chinese-made air conditioners became a popular solution in several European markets. Figures from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association show that China's air conditioner exports to the European Union and the U.K. reached $1.39 billion from January to May in 2025, up 20.25 percent year on year, while export volume rose 20.14 percent year on year to 7.97 million units.

Hisense Group said that sales of its air conditioners achieved robust growth in many European countries such as Italy, Hungary and Spain in the first half of 2025. Sales in Hungary doubled year on year during this period, while turnover in Italy increased more than 20 percent on a yearly basis, and online sales in Spain soared approximately 42 percent from a year earlier.

On X and other platforms, European buyers have shared positive feedback on the units' cooling efficiency, installation practicality, and value. Swiss user @mewwts proudly showed off the Chinese Midea air conditioner he had just bought, saying he had "zero regrets."

The post exploded, racking up over 5,000 likes in just a few hours, with hundreds of Europeans chiming in and asking how they could get their hands on a solid Chinese AC.

This development has fueled discussions on Chinese social media, where users contrast Europe's situation with routine "AC freedom" at home — the widespread ability to run air conditioning comfortably in residences and public spaces.

This accessibility stems from two core strengths. First, China's vast power infrastructure: China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, surpassed 10 trillion kWh for the first time in 2025. Total power use hit 10.4 trillion kWh that year, representing a year-on-year increase of 5 percent, according to data from the National Energy Administration.

This record-breaking volume also makes China the first country to surpass the 10-trillion-kWh mark in annual power use, more than doubling that of the United States and exceeding the combined consumption of the EU, Russia, India and Japan.

Renewables form a growing share of capacity, with nearly all new demand increasingly met by additional renewable generation.

Second, China is a manufacturing powerhouse, accounting for more than 50 percent of worldwide air conditioner production. Complete domestic supply chains and economies of scale deliver affordable, efficient products to ordinary families.

As climate change drives more frequent and intense heatwaves, Europe's traditional approach to cooling is evolving. China's industrial and energy capabilities are supporting domestic comfort while helping address rising demand in Europe — illustrating how infrastructure, manufacturing scale, and policy shape responses to a warming climate.