European AC installation fee up to 1500 euros, Chinese AC monthly sales exceed 10,000
Blue Whale News, June 29 (Reporter Lu Pengpeng) Recently, extreme heatwaves have been sweeping across Europe, with Germany, the UK, France, and other places continuously breaking high temperature records, and many countries issuing heat warnings.
In this context, Chinese-made air conditioners and other cooling appliances have become hot products locally, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 orders on e-commerce platforms, and offline stores even experiencing stock shortages.
Multiple European countries issue heat alerts
According to CCTV News, a World Meteorological Organization official said on the 26th that the heatwave that has swept through Western Europe and broken many temperature records in recent days will continue to spread eastward, affecting the entire European continent.
Data shows that France has been hit by a heatwave for several consecutive days, with temperatures in western France reaching 43 degrees Celsius, the highest ever recorded in June.
In the UK, high temperature records were broken for three consecutive days from June 24 to 26, reaching 37.3 degrees Celsius on the 26th. On the 26th, more than a thousand schools in England and Wales were fully or partially closed.
In eastern Germany, the region of Merken-Drewitz recorded a temperature of 41.5 degrees Celsius on the 27th, breaking the record. The persistent heatwave has damaged highways in many areas, with some sections closed or speed-limited, and railway authorities calling on the public to reduce long-distance travel.
Italy is also suffering from the extreme heat, and the Italian government has issued red heat alerts for 18 cities including Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milan.
Low AC penetration but surging demand
Despite record-breaking temperatures, the AC penetration rate in European countries is far lower than in other major economies, with only about 20% of households having cooling equipment.
There are multiple reasons. First, in the past, long periods of high temperatures in Europe, especially in the north, were not frequent, so there was little demand for AC installation.
In addition, to combat climate change, Europe has set green development goals, leading some European countries to implement policies restricting AC use. For example, Spain introduced a regulation in 2022 that public places must not set AC temperatures below 27 degrees Celsius.
Chinese brands break through with cost-effectiveness, monthly sales exceed 10,000 on e-commerce
Blue Whale News interviewed a Chinese person who has lived in Paris for ten years. They said that Paris has been experiencing persistent high temperatures recently, and "even in past summers, there was rarely such extreme heat. Walking on the street, you feel like you're melting."
Under the scorching heat, the demand for home cooling is rising sharply.
According to their introduction, in France, the price of a regular mobile AC ranges from 200 to 500 euros, while split ACs cost about 500 to 1,200 euros.
Blue Whale News checked Amazon France and found that the top two best-selling items are Midea ACs. One model had over 10,000 customer purchases in the past month, priced at 166 euros; another had over 7,000 orders, priced at 459 euros.
In this heatwave, Chinese-brand ACs stand out with cost-effectiveness, becoming the first choice for many local consumers.
"Midea, Haier, and Gree are all available in France. For the same configuration, domestic brands are generally much cheaper than European, American, and Japanese brands," the Chinese person told Blue Whale News.
According to CCTV News, in the first five months of 2026, China's exports of household ACs to Western European countries increased by 9.7% year-on-year; among them, mobile ACs saw outstanding growth, with a year-on-year increase of over 70%. Many companies report that consumers in multiple Western European markets are lining up to buy, and offline stores are facing shortages and supply-demand imbalances.
"Affordable to buy, unaffordable to install, unaffordable to use": installation fees can reach up to 1,500 euros
Notably, buying an AC in Europe is not the hardest part; what really deters consumers is the installation process. The one-time installation cost for a split AC generally ranges from 300 to 1,500 euros, with the highest quotes even exceeding the price of the AC itself.
Why are installation costs so high? The local Chinese explained to Blue Whale News that most buildings in Paris are decades or even centuries old, with thick walls that make drilling much more difficult than in modern buildings. Additionally, installing outdoor units in high-rise buildings involves high-altitude work, which carries higher risks. Most apartments also require prior application to the property management for installation, which must be approved by the homeowners' committee, making the process extremely cumbersome.
At the same time, local installation workers have high hourly wages. With multiple cost factors combined, split ACs have become products that are "affordable to buy but unaffordable to install" in the local market.
Due to the high installation difficulty and cost, portable mobile ACs have become the preferred cooling option for local residents, especially renters.
However, to address the restrictions on exterior wall protection and high installation costs in European countries, Chinese companies have introduced customized products.
For example, the "Midea U-Shape Smart Inverter Window AC" mentioned above, with over 7,000 monthly sales, features a U-shaped hollow design that fits into a window gap for immediate use. After installation, the window can still be partially opened, perfectly avoiding Europe's high split AC labor costs, property approvals, and wall drilling issues. It is a popular model in the overseas rental market.
It is worth noting that buying an AC in Europe is only the first step; subsequent electricity costs are also significant. The local Chinese reported that based on daily usage of 6-8 hours, a split AC adds about 30-80 euros to the monthly electricity bill, while a higher-energy-consumption mobile AC could add 50-100 euros per month.
Therefore, energy efficiency has become a key consideration for local consumers when choosing an AC. On e-commerce platforms, high-efficiency energy-saving models from Chinese brands also significantly lead in sales.
