Air Conditioning: Europe’s Just Not That Into You

It may come as a shock to most Americans, but many countries in Europe (especially the northern countries) do not have air conditioning in homes and office buildings. Is it because Europeans are still living in the Stone Age? Are they just living in perpetual winter? Are they too busy drinking sparkling water to ever get hot? Do they all use a cooling mattress? Well we are about to find out!

(Energy) Control Freaks

Europe has made tremendous effort to shift the focus from traditional non-renewable sources of energy to renewables such as wind, solar, and hydro power. Because of this change, the price of electricity in residential and commercial sectors has risen significantly. European societal norms frown upon wasting electricity due to the high cost and negative environmental effects. Europeans routinely turn off all lights and devices that are not being used and regulate temperature with windows and fans.

Au Naturel

We all know that Europeans prefer a more natural state of being. Whether it’s a trip to a nude beach or having organic fruits and veggies, you can bet more Europeans are staying away from GMOs and artificial ingredients. The same way of thinking can be applied to air conditioning. If you ever meet someone from across the pond, you might hear them complain about how cold American grocery stores and movie theaters are. While some Americans might bring a light sweater or jacket to an indoor event in the summer, Europeans find this ludicrous! Why waste so much on air conditioning when you can just dress appropriately for the season?

Cooling Down on a Cooling Mattress

Now we know that Europeans are somewhat averse to air conditioning. So, you may be asking yourself, how on earth do they sleep at night during the summer? Well, interestingly enough, the concept of a cooling mattress has become quite the norm in Europe. These mattresses have a special layer of foam on top that makes the mattress more breathable. This allows heat to escape more easily. Products like the Emma Mattress also have a firm bottom layer that prevents you from sinking too far into the mattress, meaning less heat is trapped. Now we know the reason around all the hype surrounding cooling mattresses.

Now that you know why Europeans aren’t so into AC, you can see why they might find America’s overabundance of AC astounding. What do you think? Would you ever try Europe’s more conservative style of energy and quit AC cold turkey? Let’s discuss…