Europe's heat waves drive AC sales: Chinese air conditioners sell over 10,000 units a month, but installation can cost up to €1,500
Blue Whale News, June 29 (Reporter Lu Pengpeng) - Extreme heat waves have recently swept across Europe, with Germany, the UK, France and other countries repeatedly setting new high-temperature records and many nations issuing heat warnings.
Against this backdrop, Chinese-made air conditioners and other cooling appliances have become hot sellers locally. E-commerce platforms are selling more than 10,000 units a month, and in some offline stores they are almost impossible to find.
Heat above 40°C keeps baking the continent: many countries issue heat alerts
According to CCTV News, a World Meteorological Organization official said on the 26th that the heat wave that has hit Western Europe and broken multiple temperature records will continue moving east and affect the entire European continent.
Data show France has endured heat waves for several consecutive days, with temperatures in western France rising to 43°C, the highest June temperature on record in the country; the UK set new June 24-26 temperature records for three straight days, reaching 37.3°C on the 26th; on the 26th, more than 1,000 schools in England and Wales were fully or partially closed; and on the 27th, the Morken-Drewitz area in eastern Germany recorded 41.5°C, a new high.
Persistent high temperatures in Germany have damaged road surfaces on many highways, forcing closures or speed limits on several sections. Rail authorities urged the public to cut back on long-distance travel that day. Italy is also suffering from the heat, and the government has issued red heat alerts for 18 cities including Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan.
Although temperatures keep breaking records, air-conditioning penetration in Europe remains far below that of other major economies, with only about 20% of households equipped with AC or other cooling devices.
There are many reasons. In the past, European summers, especially in Northern Europe, did not have frequent long periods of high temperatures, so demand for AC installation was low. In addition, to address climate change, Europe has set green-development goals, and some countries have introduced policies that limit AC use. For example, Spain set rules in 2022 requiring public spaces to keep AC temperature no lower than 27°C.
Chinese ACs sell well in Europe: e-commerce monthly sales top 10,000
Under the heat, demand for home cooling has surged sharply.
A Chinese resident who has lived in Paris for ten years said the city has been extremely hot lately. "Even in past summers, it was rarely this extreme. Walking outside feels like you are about to melt."
They said that in France, ordinary portable AC units sell for €200 to €500, while split AC units cost about €500 to €1,200.
Blue Whale News checked Amazon France and found that, ranked by best sellers, the top two were both Midea air conditioners. One model had been bought by more than 10,000 customers in the past month and cost €166; another had more than 7,000 orders and cost €459.
In this heat wave, Chinese AC brands have stood out with their value advantage and become the first choice for many local consumers.
"Midea, Haier, Gree and other brands are all available in France. For the same specs, Chinese brands are usually much cheaper than European, American and Japanese brands," the Chinese resident told Blue Whale News.
According to CCTV News, in the first five months of 2026, China's exports of household AC units to Western Europe rose 9.7% year on year; portable ACs were especially strong, up more than 70%. Many companies reported queues to buy, stock shortages in offline stores, and supply falling short of demand in several Western European markets.
Affordable to buy, hard to install, costly to run: installation can reach €1,500 and power bills are rising
It is worth noting that buying an AC in Europe is not the hardest part. The real hurdle for consumers is installation. Split AC installation usually costs €300 to €1,500 per unit, and the highest quotes even exceed the price of the AC itself.
Why is installation so expensive? Local Chinese residents said most buildings in central Paris are decades or even over a century old. Their thick walls make drilling much harder than in modern buildings. Outdoor-unit installation in high-rise buildings involves working at height, which is riskier. Most apartments also require a prior application to the property manager, and construction can begin only after approval by the owners' committee, making the process extremely cumbersome.
At the same time, local installers charge high hourly wages. With multiple costs stacked together, split ACs have become a product people can afford to buy but not to install.
Because installation is difficult and expensive, portable ACs have become the top cooling choice for local residents, especially renters.
However, to address issues in Europe such as exterior-façade protection restrictions and high installation costs, Chinese companies have launched customized products. For example, the above-mentioned Midea U-shaped smart inverter window unit, which sold more than 7,000 units a month, uses a U-shaped hollow design that can be inserted into the window gap and fixed for use. After installation, the window can still open and close to a limited extent, sidestepping Europe's expensive labor costs for split ACs, property-management approval, and drilling into old walls. It has become a hot model in overseas rental markets.
It is also worth noting that in Europe, buying an AC is only the first step; the electricity bill that follows is equally daunting. Local Chinese residents said that, based on daily use of 6 to 8 hours, a split AC can add €30 to €80 a month to electricity costs, while a more energy-hungry portable AC may cost €50 to €100 per month.
For this reason, energy efficiency has become the top consideration for local consumers when choosing an AC. On e-commerce platforms, energy-saving models from Chinese brands also sell much better.
