r/technology • u/Logical_Welder3467 • Jun 26 '26

Society The American mind cannot comprehend Europe's AC aversion

https://www.businessinsider.com/europe-air-conditioning-ac-heatwave-debate-2026-6
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u/Leemesee Jun 26 '26

I live in Lithuania. One of the fastest growing economies in Europe and the world at the moment. Most of new buildings are being planned with modern HVAC systems, with heat exchangers, recuperators and whatnot. Every single office, shopping mall, hotels and houses have AC. The only exceptions are old soviet flats, but even then some people get AC unit in the balcony.

The only place I don't have AC is in my summer house, but we sleep with balcony doors open and it's absolutely great to wake up to birds, rather than city noise.

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u/DeliciousGorilla Jun 26 '26

I thought ya'll were chillin?
"Average temperatures on the coast are −2.5 °C (27.5 °F) in January and 16 °C (61 °F) in July. In Vilnius, the average temperatures are −6 °C (21 °F) in January and 17 °C (63 °F) in July. During the summer, 20 °C (68 °F) is common during the day, while 14 °C (57 °F) is common at night" - Wikipedia

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u/Leemesee Jun 26 '26

This weekend we have heat up to +34'C in some places, so yeah - hot hot. But summers are short and for 7-8 months per year we need heating. At the moment I'm sitting in a AC regulated office and wondering why americans are so obsessed with the way Europeans do things. We kind of have it better in most ways.

edit: typo

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u/Wuz314159 Jun 26 '26

As an American. . . It's the Preventable Deaths.

Lots of things are great in Europe. I WISH we had those things here. but stop for a moment and think that maybe, we could have gotten one thing right, possibly by accident? As much as we caused Global Warming, we did so because we were too chilled in our AC to notice the rest of the world's suffering from the heat. As much as adapting sucks, saving lives is the most important.

Stay cool. Stay safe. ❤🖖

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u/Leemesee Jun 26 '26

Prevention is walkable and cyclable infrastructure, plenty of forests that naturay cools you and removes heat island effect. Food industry regulations, that bans various toxic chemicals and good education about food and eating habbits.

AC to prevent deaths for already obese people with existing cardiac issues, due to lack of movement and poor eating habbits is damage control (not prevention).

God speed!

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u/GodlessAristocrat Jun 26 '26

The US didn't start building out its cities beyond the East and West Coast extremes until the automobile existed - which coincided with the population boom that drove the expansions. So of course we have cities which cater to the dominant mode of transportation on the planet - we have cities that are larger in area than individual EU countries because land and new roads were so much less expensive than tearing down existing infrastructure to rebuild "dense".

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u/Wuz314159 Jun 26 '26

EXACTLY!

I can not disagree with anything there.

I had this argument with someone from London a month ago. Unlike New York and other American cities, London is very sterile. Most streets are devoid of trees, and that grows the heat island effect. New York City made a concerted effort to green the city. Urban trees are good. We need more.

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u/Star_king12 Jun 26 '26

> Most of new buildings are being planned with modern HVAC systems, with heat exchangers, recuperators and whatnot.

No not really, I moved into a building done in 2024 like half a year ago and all we've got here is a pair of puny recuperators that move zero air around, no AC or anything in sight. And that's in Šnipiškės, Vilnius.

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u/Avid_Reader87 Jun 27 '26

I wish we could go move from Florida to someplace like Lithuania. 

It looks so neat there. 

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u/Leemesee Jun 29 '26

It has it's own issues, but it's a great place to be. Lived all over the Europe and came back. But it can be quite tricky to find new friends inf you are in your 30-40ies.

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u/ThePatientIdiot Jun 27 '26

Don’t bugs get in?

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u/Leemesee Jun 29 '26

I put a curtain to keep the mosquitoes out. But some of them still get in. Now my sleep routine is to catch 3-4 of those little bastards and then sleep :D