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As Europe swelters under 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, can’t do without.
The country alone accounts for over one-third of all electricity used for air conditioning across all 27 European Union member states, according to Eurostat, amounting to nearly 23,000 terajoules out of a total of just over 60,000.
That’s despite having some of the highest electricity prices in Europe.
Why are Italians so hooked on air con?
In recent years, the country has been hit by brutal heatwaves, with temperatures reaching 48C in regions like Sicily or Sardinia. In addition, Italy is home to the oldest population in Europe, making its inhabitants very sensitive to extreme heat.
Greece tells a similar story. Despite its smaller size, it ranks second in air con consumption in the EU. It consumes just over 8,000 terajoules for this purpose, followed by France, Spain and Germany.
Air conditioning, however, makes up just a tiny slice of household electricity use across the EU, accounting for only 0.6%.
The lion’s share (62.5%) goes to the heating of rooms, followed by water heating at 15% and lighting at 14.5%.
Which European countries recorded the highest temperatures in 2025?
This summer, Europe and neighbouring countries have already faced high temperatures.
The western Balkans are grappling with severe drought, while wildfires prompted the evacuations of thousands of tourists in Greece and caused the death of at least two people in Turkey.
Faced with growing climate change worries, in the beginning of July, Ankara adopted a landmark climate law targeting net-zero emissions by 2053.
Western Europe wasn’t spared either.
Portugal has reported the highest temperature on the continent so far: 46.6C was measured in Mora, 100 km from Lisbon.
The latest heatwave is believed to have caused nearly 300 excess deaths.
Neighbouring Spain was struck by wildfires, which killed two people and devastated the northeastern province of Tarragona, where some 18,000 residents were placed in lockdown for safety reasons.
Spain reported the second-highest temperature in Europe in summer 2025. Temperatures of 46C were recorded in El Granado, near the country’s southern border with Portugal.
Mainland Greece ranks third with 43.2C in Skala, a town in the southern Peloponnese region.
Are Europeans becoming more energy-considerate?
The good news is that Europeans are using less energy at home.
Following 2021’s all-time peak of 11 million terajoules, energy consumption dropped to 9.6 million, according to the latest Eurostat data, with households accounting for 26.2% of final energy consumption.
Most of it is covered by natural gas (29.5%) and electricity (25.9%).
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