One in eight German households already use air conditioning – survey

Around one in eight German households already use air-condition units, according to a survey by price comparison website Verivox. “Eighty seven percent of respondents get by without an air conditioner until now, while 16 percent are planning to purchase one. Thirteen percent of the survey participants already operate an air conditioner,” Verivox said. Of the households who already have air-conditioning, 43 percent use installed aircons with external fans, while half use so-called mobile “monoblocks” which remove hot air from indoors with a movable tube. Of all aircon users living in rented properties, 72 percent use mobile devices.

Mobile devices don’t have installation costs, but operating them can be up to seven times more expensive because they are less efficient, Verivox said, adding that mobile models can be found for around 200 euros, while fixed units can cost over 2,000 euros. Of all households without aircon, 42 percent said room temperatures weren’t a problem, while 41 percent said they get by fine by using fans and shade instead. The same share of people think that air conditioning costs are too high.

Europe is the continent experiencing the fastest rise in temperatures because of climate change, and is grappling with a sharply growing number and intensity of heatwaves. There are concerns that installing more aircon systems will increase building’s energy consumption just as countries like Germany are attempting to decarbonise the sector, and put increased strain on the energy grid.