Cooling energy use in Europe has doubled

Europe's energy demand for cooling has doubled in just six years, driven by increasingly frequent heatwaves. In 2024, EU citizens consumed 80,400 terajoules (TJ) for cooling homes and apartments, a stark increase from 40,500 TJ in 2018, according to new data from Eurostat.

Southern European nations lead in absolute cooling energy use, with Italy consuming 26,300 TJ, Spain 14,300 TJ, and Greece 11,900 TJ. However, when considering cooling's share of total energy consumption, Cyprus and Malta stand out, using 16% and 15% respectively for cooling. Greece's share is 7.4%, while Spain and Italy are just over 2% each.

Across the EU, heating remains the largest energy consumer in households, accounting for 61.5% of total usage. Warm water requires 15.6%, lighting and electronics 14.8%, and cooling a little over 6%. Meanwhile, renewable energy sources were the primary contributors to electricity generation in the EU last year, making up about 47% of the mix. Fossil fuels accounted for roughly 30%, and nuclear power contributed 23%.