How Other European Cities Deal With Air-Conditioning Units
Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Paris apartments often lack air conditioning, shutters or blinds, leaving some top-floor homes dangerously hot during heatwaves.
- Only 28% of buildings and 13.4% of homes in France have air conditioning, according to HelloWatt data.
- Paris has the country’s largest district cooling network, which cools 800 buildings, including the Louvre and the National Assembly.
Paris offers postcard views, but hot weather can make life difficult in its top-floor apartments. Magali looks out toward Sacré-Coeur from her kitchen, yet her home can heat up to 39 degrees Celsius or more during periods of high temperatures.
Like most homes in the French capital, the apartment has neither air conditioning nor roller shutters or window shutters. Across France, only 28 percent of buildings and 13.4 percent of homes have air conditioning, according to data from energy-transition specialist HelloWatt. The equipment becomes more common farther south.
Paris does, however, have the largest district cooling network in France. It helps cool 800 buildings, including the Louvre and the National Assembly.
The article places these arrangements within a broader European debate over the effect of outdoor air-conditioning units on urban skylines and historic facades.
About this summary
Originally published by Der Standard in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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