June 2026 was the hottest June on record for western Europe and the second warmest globally, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The three warmest years on record worldwide—2024, 2023, and 2025—have pushed more Europeans to seek relief through air conditioning and other cooling methods, with measurable consequences for the continent's energy systems.
Household energy consumption for space cooling in the European Union doubled between 2018 and 2024, rising from 40.5 thousand terajoules (TJ) to 80.4 thousand TJ—a 99% increase. Over the longer term, the growth is even starker: in 2010, consumption stood at just 15.5 thousand TJ, meaning a 420% rise over 14 years.
Which countries are driving the surge?
The growth rates vary widely across the EU, but some of the highest percentage increases come from countries that historically used very little cooling. Austria, for instance, saw its household cooling energy consumption jump from 22 TJ in 2018 to 253 TJ in 2024—an increase of over 1,000%. Czechia recorded a 244% rise, and Italy, where air conditioning is already widespread, still saw a 193% increase. Hungary (171%), Finland (163%), Spain (127%), Slovenia (114%), and Greece (103%) also more than doubled their cooling energy use over the period.
Among the EU's largest economies, France experienced a 52% rise, while Germany remained relatively stable with just an 8% increase. These figures underscore that even in cooler northern climates, the demand for cooling is growing, albeit from a low base.
It is important to interpret these growth rates with caution: a country that previously reported zero or negligible cooling energy can show a very high percentage increase even if absolute consumption remains modest. A zero in the data indicates no reported consumption, not necessarily no increase.
Cooling's share of household energy
Across the EU, cooling accounted for just 0.84% of final household energy consumption in 2024. However, in several Mediterranean and Balkan countries, the share is far higher. Cyprus leads with 16%, followed by Malta (15%) and Albania (13.4%), an EU candidate country. Greece devotes 7.4% of household energy to cooling, while shares above 2% are seen in North Macedonia (3%), Montenegro (2.9%), Spain (2.5%), Italy (2.3%), and Croatia (2.1%).
In absolute terms, Italy consumes the most energy for cooling in the EU—26.3 thousand TJ, or nearly a third (32.7%) of the EU total. Spain ranks second with 14.3 thousand TJ (17.8%), and Greece third with 11.9 thousand TJ (14.8%). When candidate countries are included, Turkey's consumption of 13.6 thousand TJ places it third overall.
Heatwaves strain electricity markets
The growing need for cooling is already reshaping Europe's electricity market. During the June 2026 heatwaves, electricity demand rose sharply across the EU's four largest economies. France recorded the biggest increase: according to grid operator RTE, every 1°C rise in temperature typically adds between 0.7 GW and 1 GW of demand, with cooling likely accounting for an extra 10 to 14 GW on the hottest days.
Wholesale power prices spiked accordingly. In Germany, prices topped €200 per megawatt-hour (MWh); in France they reached nearly €160/MWh, and in Spain exceeded €110/MWh. The surge was driven not only by rising cooling demand but also by constrained supply: weak wind generation in Germany coincided with temporary cuts to French nuclear output due to unusually warm river water. While wholesale price increases do not immediately feed through to household bills, prolonged upward pressure can eventually raise retail electricity prices.
The situation highlights the urgent need for Europe to adapt its energy infrastructure to a warming climate. As the continent warms twice as fast as the global average—the 10 countries with the highest temperature increases in 2023 were all in Europe, per FAO data—the demand for cooling is likely to keep rising. This makes investments in energy efficiency, grid resilience, and storage all the more critical. Recent policy moves, such as the non-binding pact to triple energy storage capacity by 2030, aim to address some of these challenges, but implementation remains uneven.
For now, the data is clear: Europe's cooling needs are growing fast, and the energy system is feeling the heat.
