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[EviLore]

WHO estimates 175,000 people per year in the European Region die from heat-related causes. Lower bounds are at 50,000-60,000 per year from EEA and Nature studies.

There are 48,000 gun related deaths in the USA each year, including suicides. The CDC reports 1600 heat-related deaths per year in the United States, mostly in the desert regions like Arizona and Nevada.

Window air conditioning units, the cheap, convenient, effective cooling solution in response to a heat wave, are effectively banned in Europe due to EU regulations on energy efficiency and noise (and having anything stick out of your window, and probably several other regulations I'm not aware of). Portable hose-exhaust type AC units are sold in stores, passing regulation for some reason, despite being almost useless. The typical recommended solution is a split duct wall-mounted AC, which is not a viable solution for renters lacking AC.

This seems...unreasonable.

 

[Miles708]

Yeah #1 !!!
Suck it US!

(on a serious note i wonder if there are differences in how a "heat-related death" is counted between continents)

 

[Herbspiceguy]

The yearly culling of the elderly is a net positive for our welfare states.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

A lot of people in Europe dont have AC? That's nuts.

Just about everyone I know has central AC/heating which is a home designed so hot/cool air circulates through the home using ductwork. Some people I know who live in old homes that were never renovated have those floor heating systems (those radiator things along the walls).

In Canada, it's really only hot for some parts of the year needing cooling. But it's standard for all homes to have heating/AC units. Zero people I know have no AC. Even someone who lives in a trailer park probably has AC.

 

[Miles708]

A lot of people in Europe dont have AC? That's nuts.

Just about everyone I know has central AC/heating which is a home designed so hot/cool air circulates through the home using ductwork. Some people I know who live in old homes that were never renovated have those floor heating systems (those radiator things along the walls).

In Canada, it's really only hot for some parts of the year needing cooling. But it's standard for all homes to have heating/AC units. Zero people I know have no AC. Even someone who lives in a trailer park probably has AC.

It's becoming more common in the last ~5-7 years but it's far from a given

 

[Unknown?]

Europe needs more common sense heat laws that simply bans heat all together.

 

[Bojji]

A lot of people in Europe dont have AC? That's nuts.

Just about everyone I know has central AC/heating which is a home designed so hot/cool air circulates through the home using ductwork. Some people I know who live in old homes that were never renovated have those floor heating systems (those radiator things along the walls).

In Canada, it's really only hot for some parts of the year needing cooling. But it's standard for all homes to have heating/AC units. Zero people I know have no AC. Even someone who lives in a trailer park probably has AC.

AC at home is rare, at least in central, north and eastern Europe. Everything is build against colder weather. Not to mention energy prices are insane so AC is not really worth it.

I love AC in my work, can't imagine working with those fucked up temperatures.

 

[Melon Husk]

 

[Mithos]

AC at home is rare, at least in central, north and eastern Europe. Everything is build against colder weather. Not to mention energy prices are insane so AC is not really worth it.

I love AC in my work, can't imagine working with those fucked up temperatures.

Yeah prices per KWh is like 2-4 times the price compared to USA, depending on European country.

In Dec 2024, some places in Sweden, 1 KWh was like us$0.85 ish.

 

[EviLore]

A lot of people in Europe dont have AC? That's nuts.

Just about everyone I know has central AC/heating which is a home designed so hot/cool air circulates through the home using ductwork. Some people I know who live in old homes that were never renovated have those floor heating systems (those radiator things along the walls).

In Canada, it's really only hot for some parts of the year needing cooling. But it's standard for all homes to have heating/AC units. Zero people I know have no AC. Even someone who lives in a trailer park probably has AC.

Pitbull did a concert recently in Germany and stopped to complain because of the lack of AC.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I doubt it's AC related, right now it's over 34C outside, but it's only 27C inside, it's more likely people being outside or in crowds being blasted by the sun and getting dehydrated.

 

[AJUMP23]

Probably working out the way the EU wants it to. Over-regulating, un-elected bureaucrats preventing people from doing what they want with their money all under the guise of saving a planet. They have tried to kill European farming too with their regulation. Intelligent fools with what they consider honorable intentions destroying a continent for cheap labor and environmental policy.

Sometimes they do have good consumer protections with Return policies, Banned chemicals in food (The US should adopt these) and phone port standardization.

 

[near]

I thought I was dying yesterday at 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit).

 

[dave_d]

The yearly culling of the elderly is a net positive for our welfare states.

Bet it also keeps healthcare costs down.

 

[Audiophile]

Europe needs more common sense heat laws that simply bans heat all together.

If you make heat illegal, it won't happen.

 

[YCoCg]

Pitbull did a concert recently in Germany and stopped to complain because of the lack of AC.

He's an icon for a reason!

 

[Haemi]

Window air conditioning units, the cheap, convenient, effective cooling solution in response to a heat wave, are effectively banned in Europe due to EU regulations on energy efficiency and noise (and having anything stick out of your window, and probably several other regulations I'm not aware of).

Would be news to me, that window air conditioning units are banned. They are just useless here, because we don't have your type of windows that slide vertically. The hose exhaust type is the best solution when you rent your apartment or need a cheap solution. But it requires some tinkering for best performance. Heat pumps and mini split are the best performing solutions here. In germany this can get quite expensive (4000€-30000€).

 

[Three]

Window ACs aren't really banned here (though there may be some landlord/specific building rules set by individuals). They're not banned and definitely not for inefficiency since the single exhaust portable units are even worse in that regard as you mentioned. A lot of it is based on people simply not liking them and having no use for it throughout most of the year. Heatwaves unfortunately catch a lot of people by surprise in Europe who haven't planned ahead because they simply didn't expect the heat. We're usually too preoccupied with finding ways to heat the home. Luckily I had a split duct wall-mounted AC installed a few years ago when we had a previous heatwave though.

 

[rm082e]

Having grown up in Oklahoma, the idea of not having air conditioning is like not having food. We basically hide in the house with the curtains down from June through late September. Just walking outside to take out the trash and check the mail will make you start sweating.

 

[AJUMP23]

The yearly culling of the elderly is a net positive for our welfare states.

 

[jason10mm]

A lot of america is actually at the same latitude as north africa, what we would consider "the north" is at the level of southern europe. So not having A/C isn't totally crazy, hell I remember being in the Carolinas as a kid and lots of places didn't have A/C. Nor did any home in Hawaii have it.

A/C is definitely the catalyst for the rapid growth of the US South though. No f'n clue how folks in central texas made it without A/C, much less florida or georgia with the humidity.

 

[Zathalus]

That USA number seems rather low. I wonder if the methodology between the Europe and USA number is the same, but with that discrepancy I doubt it.

As for AC units, I am sure they are not the same as is available in the USA, but I live in the Netherlands, I have AC, my Neighbours have AC, my car has AC, the bus has AC, the train has AC, the supermarket on the corner has AC, the office has AC, and most restaurants and malls I go to have AC. Large areas like Utrecht Centraal or Schiphol don't have AC, but are very well ventilated. There are regulations around noise and where you can place the AC, but that is a positive. The Netherlands doesn't exactly have the most space available to it and you don't want that many AC units in a residential area fouling up the place with excessive noise. Or have horrible looking AC extraction fans all on the outside of buildings.

Historically it wasn't needed that much, but as the summers keep getting stronger heat waves due to climate change, the number of AC installations are going up. Naturally not everyone feels the need for it yet.

 

[Revolutionary]

Europe needs more common sense heat laws that simply bans heat all together.

They just need to flatten the sharp, pointy part of heat like they did knives.

English ingenuity wins again

 

[spookyfish]

Europe needs more common sense heat laws that simply bans heat all together.

Dammit. Beat me to it.

 

[Zathalus]

They just need to flatten the sharp, pointy part of heat like they did knives.

English ingenuity wins again

Sharp knives are not banned in the UK or EU. Some countries prohibit carrying them in public, but buying a sharp and pointy knife from Amazon or your local store is perfectly legal.

 

[RJMacready73]

bloody African immigrants coming to our shores bringing their god-awful weather with them, but yeah no one has AC in the UK and London is going through some high 20's low 30's at the mo but anywhere i've stayed in Europe its always had AC, our Air BnB in Malaga had multiple H/L wall units

 

[StreetsofBeige]

For you guys who replied above, that's nuts. I never thought of AC in Europe, but if I had to guess before Evil's post I would had first guessed it was common except for any old homes since Europe has so much historic culture and buildings. So for those old buildings, just do an AC unit against a window. But I didnt know it was still uncommon as a whole.

To give you an idea in Canada:

- Every home I know has AC (and heating too of course). It'll likely be a central heating/AC system
- Homes are designed to have air circulating through metal ductwork in your walls and under your floors (probably aluminum tubes). So when you adjust your thermostat to hot or cold, it all works and heats or cools your home as it pumps out the air through little vents on the floor (or some are high on the walls like ceiling-ish vents)
- The main AC unit is outside your house (backyard). It takes the hot air in your house and flushes it outside leaving colder air in your home which is cooled through more AC gear near your furnace (hot air is pulled through evap coils)
- New apartments/condos are designed to have everything integrated in the building
- Really old buildings or houses can still have old school AC units hanging outside the window as the home wasnt designed with ductwork
- Heating can be different as some older homes I think use gas or electricity and heat radiators or something along your walls. So the heat doesnt come through vents in every room. But if it's a central air system, every room should have at least one vent for the ductwork

 

[jason10mm]

That USA number seems rather low. I wonder if the methodology between the Europe and USA number is the same, but with that discrepancy I doubt it.

Nah, those numbers are good for the US. Firearm deaths are HEAVILY tracked.

Of course half are from suicides so don't represent "gun violence", but in this context of "gun deaths vs heat deaths" to illustrate the magnitude of the issue for europe, it's a good one.

Compare fentanyl ODs to heat deaths and the gap closes.

 

[dave_d]

Compare fentanyl ODs to heat deaths and the gap closes.

To be fair to our European brethren, I bet if you then lump in all deaths in the US due to obesity(like diabetes) it completely goes away.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Well if I'm dying of a heat death, I want a gun

I don't see why not, seeing as it seems a lot of the wanker people in the UK have one regardless

 

[Pagusas]

so what is the reason Europeans just don't grab a window unit or get a split unit installed?

 

[Zathalus]

Nah, those numbers are good for the US. Firearm deaths are HEAVILY tracked.

Of course half are from suicides so don't represent "gun violence", but in this context of "gun deaths vs heat deaths" to illustrate the magnitude of the issue for europe, it's a good one.

Compare fentanyl ODs to heat deaths and the gap closes.

I'm talking about the US heat deaths. 1000-2000 per year seems low, and looking into it, it appears to be debated on the accuracy due to underreporting. Other estimate go higher, like over 10k.

As for the WHO report, it covers the entire WHO European region, which is the purple region below (930 million people):

If we look at actual reported number for the EU, it appears to be 48k for 2023. So yes, significantly higher vs the USA but not as extreme as the WHO report makes it sound. Also, AC installations are trending higher, 41% of all new properties on the market in Spain last year had AC installed, which was unheard of even 10 years ago.

 

[AJUMP23]

so what is the reason Europeans just don't grab a window unit or get a split unit installed?

Go back to the OP and read paragraph 3.

 

[Days like these...]

so what is the reason's Europeans just don't grab a window unit or get a split unit installed?

Let me save them the effort. It's only hot a few days out of the year so buying an AC doesn't makem sense.

Let's just ignore the fact that the ac would be used next year and the year after that and the year after that and the year after into the end of time.

 

[Pagusas]

Go back to the OP and read paragraph 3.

ITs too early in the morning for my reading comprehension to kick in. thank you!

Let me save them the effort. It's only hot a few days out of the year so buying an AC doesn't makem sense.

Let's just ignore the fact that the ac would be used next year and the year after that and the year after that and the year after into time to the end of time.

If it saves your life, even if its used just one week a year, it was worth it.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Keep investing in and expanding this:

District cooling - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

And keep upgrading older buildings with central air if possible. It's not getting any cooler outside anytime soon.

 

[Days like these...]

ITs too early in the morning for my reading comprehension to kick in. thank you!



If it saves your life, even if its used just one week a year, it was worth it.

I agree I'm just repeating what they say in the weather threads.

 

[Aces High]

so what is the reason Europeans just don't grab a window unit or get a split unit installed?

It's mostly a cultural thing.

European houses are traditionally built much more massive with brick walls. If you go into very old European houses, you will find that they stay quiet cool even during summer.

Anecdotically, I never met a single person in real life who lost a family member to heat.

European media, however, keep repeating that sun and electricity are bad. So people start to believe it and become afraid of nice weather. And then they pay thousands of Euros to travel somewhere even hotter.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

A lot of people in Europe dont have AC? That's nuts.

Just about everyone I know has central AC/heating which is a home designed so hot/cool air circulates through the home using ductwork. Some people I know who live in old homes that were never renovated have those floor heating systems (those radiator things along the walls).

In Canada, it's really only hot for some parts of the year needing cooling. But it's standard for all homes to have heating/AC units. Zero people I know have no AC. Even someone who lives in a trailer park probably has AC.

I live in a place with an almost tropical weather. I dont need any heating in Winter (I like cold, anyways) and in summertime it's just two months of horror that I can survive with a ceiling fan. I prefer to avoid the hussle of AC, though in my city many people are getting it, since summer is a bit too much. Right now I'm typing from a burning laptop.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

They just need to flatten the sharp, pointy part of heat like they did knives.

English ingenuity wins again

I've never seen knives like those anywhere.

But I didnt know it was still uncommon as a whole.

it's uncommon because it's only hot like 4 weeks out of 52, the rest is just miserable or cold or both.

 

[//DEVIL//]

Window air conditioning units, the cheap, convenient, effective cooling solution in response to a heat wave, are effectively banned in Europe due to EU regulations on energy efficiency and noise (and having anything stick out of your window, and probably several other regulations I'm not aware of). Portable hose-exhaust type AC units are sold in stores, passing regulation for some reason, despite being almost useless. The typical recommended solution is a split duct wall-mounted AC, which is not a viable solution for renters lacking AC.

EU regulations can fuck off.
Portable ACs, even with 12000 BTU can't even cool down a mid-size living room.

 

[kpopSuperstar]

Summer has turned into a thing of dread for a lot of people. Anything above 25 celsius is miserable. I never lived anywhere with AC.

 

[LordCBH]

What's the reasoning why so many die from heat over there? Is it just lack of AC in many places?

Never been to Europe so I don't know

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

What's the reasoning why so many die from heat over there? Is it just lack of AC in many places?

Never been to Europe so I don't know

No, it's mostly heat spikes. Every death I watch on the news is someone who was in the street and suddenly dropped dead because of a "heat strike" as they call it. People working in extreme heat hours, construction sites, etc.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

That bad thing about heat too is if your area is the hot humid kinds of heat.

I remember going to Vegas for the first time and supposedly it was 35C. But since it was a dry heat, it wasnt bad at all. But if anyone lives in a humid heat, even if it's only 25C outside, it'll feel very different. You cant even equate it to a higher temp level because it's a heavy damp heat which makes you sweat in minutes. If you've never felt humid heat in your city, what happens is you open your front door and immediately you get this big heavy kind of hot air hitting your face like some magic user cast a hot mist spell on you. Right then you know if you decide to go out and do errands all afternoon outside you'll be drenched in sweat. If you were planning on doing some gardening/mowing the lawn for a couple hours forget it. Try it tomorrow kind of thing.

News channels here will try to equate it like..... "30C (but feels like 35C with humidity)"

That is totally false, because 30C with high humidity feels much worse than Vegas at dry 35C.

 

[Sakura]

Is there a difference between how the WHO and CDC is determining what a heat related death is and how they are counting?
I know Europeans don't believe in AC for some reason, but the difference in those numbers seems too drastic.

 

[LordCBH]

No, it's mostly heat spikes. Every death I watch on the news is someone who was in the street and suddenly dropped dead because of a "heat strike" as they call it. People working in extreme heat hours, construction sites, etc.

That's really sad…Heat strokes are no fuckin joke.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

What's the reasoning why so many die from heat over there? Is it just lack of AC in many places?

It probably has nothing to do with lack of AC and more people outside catching heat stroke.

 

[//DEVIL//]

Summer has turned into a thing of dread for a lot of people. Anything above 25 celsius is miserable. I never lived anywhere with AC.

I agree. I live in Ottawa, and I find myself ok up to 30 degrees ( home in the summer without AC is cooler at 25 degrees ). which is OK, but I still do turn on the AC for 21/22 degrees, where I am more comfortable.

with that being said, I am finding myself more and more of a winter guy. I can no longer stand the heat.

 

[kruis]

WHO estimates 175,000 people per year in the European Region die from heat-related causes. Lower bounds are at 50,000-60,000 per year from EEA and Nature studies.

There are 48,000 gun related deaths in the USA each year, including suicides. The CDC reports 1600 heat-related deaths per year in the United States, mostly in the desert regions like Arizona and Nevada.

Window air conditioning units, the cheap, convenient, effective cooling solution in response to a heat wave, are effectively banned in Europe due to EU regulations on energy efficiency and noise (and having anything stick out of your window, and probably several other regulations I'm not aware of). Portable hose-exhaust type AC units are sold in stores, passing regulation for some reason, despite being almost useless. The typical recommended solution is a split duct wall-mounted AC, which is not a viable solution for renters lacking AC.

This seems...unreasonable.

The 175,000 people per year in the European Region who die from heat-related causes are only seen in statistics. Excess mortality. Those same people were already at the brink of death and a heat wave pushed them over the edge. It's not like an air conditioner in their house would make a huge difference.

Besides that, the difference between the WHO estimate (175,000 deaths) and other studies (50-60,000 deaths) is so large that I suspect the WHO estimate is bogus.