EU countries most dependent on air conditioners - Who consumes the most energy to cool down?!
As Europe swelters through another heatwave, air conditioning remains an indispensable companion in the hardest-hit countries, with more people considering it a necessity rather than a luxury. Italy, more than any other European nation, cannot do without it.
Italy accounts for over a third of all electricity used for air conditioning in the 27 member states of the European Union, according to Eurostat, amounting to almost 23,000 terajoules out of a total of just over 60,000. This is despite having some of the highest electricity prices in Europe.
In recent years, the country has been hit by heatwaves, with temperatures reaching 48°C in regions such as Sicily and Sardinia. In addition, Italy is home to the oldest population in Europe, making its residents highly susceptible to extreme heat.
Greece tells a similar story. Despite being a smaller country than Italy, it ranks second in air conditioning consumption in the EU. It consumes just over 8,000 terajoules for this purpose, followed by France, Spain and Germany.
However, air conditioning accounts for only a small part of household electricity use across the EU, just 0.6%. The majority goes to room heating, followed by water heating at 15% and lighting at 14.5%.
This summer, Europe and neighboring countries have already faced high temperatures. The Western Balkans are facing severe drought, while wildfires have forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists in Greece and killed at least two people in Turkey.
Faced with growing concerns about climate change, in early July, Ankara passed a historic climate law that aims for net zero emissions by 2053.
Portugal has reported the highest temperature on the continent so far: 46.6C was measured in Mora, 100km from Lisbon. The recent heatwave is believed to have caused almost 300 excess deaths.
Neighboring Spain was hit by the fires, which killed two people and devastated the northeastern province of Tarragona, where around 18,000 residents were placed in isolation for safety reasons.
The good news is that Europeans are using less energy at home. After a historic peak in 2021 of 11 million terajoules, energy consumption fell to 9.6 million, according to the latest Eurostat data, with households accounting for 26.2% of final consumption.
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