Germans Are Finally Embracing Air Conditioning, Even Renters

(Bloomberg) – A walk on the German streets usually reveals numerous architecture, plaster walls, and air conditioners sitting on the balconies or hanging through the windows.

Most of the houses in Germany and northwest Europe have no AC, and in recent years, it has not needed it until the heat waves became more frequent. Now summer temperatures are scorching, many of them find the most managed way of cooling with a portable unit.

“It is not the solution of our air conditioning problems, but the only solution in which we give optimally designed cities and small shadow conditions,” he said last summer at Frankfurt ($ 1055.)

Adapt to the new climate reality in Europe can be complex and expensive. According to the Eurostat, about half of the European Union’s housing stock was built before 1980, so it is not easy to strengthen for the channels and cables required for an air conditioning system. And in Germany, more than half of the population – a larger share in the block from anywhere else – so they are usually not willing to invest in a permanent AC or they cannot do it without a host permission.

Even the landlords may face difficulties: those living in shared buildings must first clean adding permanent external units with the owners’ association, but these demands are often affected by noise or environmental concerns.

Therefore, one of the hottest Gunes in the record, then the manufacturers and sellers of portable devices say that they are low in materials.

A small survey this month showed that 18% of the participants had an air conditioner than 13% in 2023, but Germany’s Federal Environmental Agency forecasts claimed that the share was lower. According to the survey participants, two -thirds of the air conditioning users in Germany have single units known as monoblocks, such as independent machines with windows or exhaust hose.

Approximately 90% of the US households in the USA are air -conditioned, two -thirds of which are by central AC or heat pumps.

The problem with the most popular portable alternatives is that it usually absorbs large amounts of power when removing heat. Daniel de Graaf, a researcher of the German Environment Agency, said, “Tenants should usually apply to less -effective devices than owners, which may have a significant impact on electrical costs,” he said.

The Germans, who want a quick solution, also have the option to buy more efficiently portable heat pumps. Midea Group Co., a Chinese device manufacturer, said that according to a spokesman, considering the rapidly growing rental market and continuous high temperatures, the demand for mobile “Portasplit” is high in Germany. The model was sold in many stores in the early summer, and the prices of the devices remaining in stock, a comparison website idealo GmbH’ye 800 € to € 1,600 € fluctuated.

TOOM BAUMARKT GmbH, a hardware store chain, has seen high customer interest with portable air conditioners. Daria Ezazi, a company spokesman, said, “Fast cooling and ease of use are the most important priorities for many customers, but aspects such as energy efficiency and conformity for rental apartments become increasingly more and more important,” he said.

Portasplit consists of two units in one room that blows cold (or hot) in one room, and the other is a unit that beats heat from outside. A narrow hose ties the two through a cracked window and avoids the need to drill holes from the walls. This design is more efficient than devices that are not an open unit, but it has a higher pre -price tag.

Evans, which is mounted on a bracket outside the living room window, says that the ceiling apartment makes a big difference when it feels comfortable and does not increase the power bill significantly. Other methods to cool the area always seemed to be “insufficient ve and says, biriş trying to go for a walk without shoes”.

Although German law requires landlords to reach minimum temperatures in winter, there is no clear requirement for summer.

Jutta Hartmann of the German Tenants Association, “ This is an exception to be accepted as a fault of the heat.

A large number of people who apply to ready -made corrections instead of more efficient strengthening is that they can increase the risk, power demand and emissions. Graaf from the German Environment Agency, the environmental impact of various models “is absolutely different,” he said.

The institution usually recommends using other methods for opening windows at night, wearing good thermal insulation and sun protection, using fans and closing unused devices. In cases where air conditioners are required, it recommends to use climate -friendly cooling agents and energy -saving air conditioners and turn them into small amounts.

“People do not want air conditioning; they want a comfortable interior climate,” he said. “And there are other ways to achieve this.”

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