Europe AC Installation Fee Up to 1,500 Euros, Chinese AC Monthly Sales Exceed 10,000
Amid the recent extreme heatwave sweeping Europe, with Germany, the UK, France and other countries continuously breaking high temperature records and multiple nations issuing heat alerts, Chinese-made air conditioners and other cooling appliances have become hot commodities locally. E-commerce platforms report monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units, and offline stores face shortages.
Heat Alerts Escalate Across Europe
According to CCTV News, a World Meteorological Organization official said that the heatwave breaking multiple temperature records in Western Europe will continue to spread eastward, affecting the entire European continent.
Data shows France has experienced consecutive days of heatwave, with temperatures in western France reaching 43 degrees Celsius, the highest June temperature on record; the UK saw high temperature records broken for three consecutive days from June 24 to 26, reaching 37.3 degrees Celsius on the 26th, with over a thousand schools fully or partially closed in England and Wales; Muecken-Drewitz, eastern Germany, recorded 41.5 degrees Celsius on the 27th, a new high, damaging highways and prompting railway authorities to advise against long-distance travel; Italy issued red heat alerts for 18 cities including Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milan.
Despite record temperatures, air conditioning penetration in European countries remains far below other major economies, with only about 20% of households equipped with cooling appliances.
Chinese Brands Break Through with Price-Performance Advantage: E-commerce Monthly Sales Exceed 10,000
A Chinese national living in Paris for ten years said that except for the recent persistent heat in Paris, extreme heat of this level was rare in previous summers.
Under the scorching heat, demand for home cooling has surged. In France, typical mobile AC prices range from 200 to 500 euros, while split-type AC costs 500 to 1,200 euros. Blue Whale News checked Amazon France and found that the top two best-sellers are both Midea air conditioners: one with over 10,000 customers purchasing in the past month, priced at 166 euros; the other with over 7,000 orders, priced at 459 euros.
In this heatwave, Chinese brand air conditioners have stood out with their price-performance advantage, becoming the first choice for many local consumers. The Chinese national said that for the same configuration, domestic brands are generally much cheaper than European, American and Japanese brands.
According to CCTV News, in the first five months of 2026, China's exports of household air conditioners to Western European countries increased by 9.7% year-on-year; mobile AC category grew particularly strongly, with a year-on-year increase of over 70%. Many companies reported that consumers in Western European markets were queuing to buy, with offline stores out of stock and supply unable to meet demand.
'Can Buy, Can't Install, Can't Afford to Run': Installation Fee Up to 1,500 Euros
Notably, buying an air conditioner in Europe is not the hardest part; what truly deters consumers is the installation process. Single installation fees for split AC range from 300 to 1,500 euros, with the highest quotes even exceeding the unit price.
Why are installation fees so high? The Chinese national explained that many buildings in central Paris are decades or even centuries old, with thick walls that make drilling much more difficult than in modern buildings; high-rise outdoor unit installation involves high-altitude work, which is risky, and most apartments require prior application to the building management and approval from the owners' committee before construction, making the process cumbersome.
At the same time, local installers charge high hourly rates. With multiple cost factors combined, split AC has become a 'can buy, can't install' appliance locally.
Due to installation difficulty and high cost, portable mobile AC has become the preferred cooling option for local residents, especially renters.
To address restrictions on exterior wall modifications and high installation costs, Chinese companies have introduced customized products. For example, the 'Midea U-shaped Smart Inverter Window AC' features a U-shaped hollow design that can be inserted into the window gap for installation, allowing the window to still open and close to a limited extent, thus avoiding Europe's high split AC labor costs, property approvals, and old wall drilling issues. It is a popular model in the overseas rental market.
Electricity Bills Are Also Significant: Energy Efficiency Becomes Key Purchase Consideration
Furthermore, buying an AC locally is only the first step; subsequent electricity costs also need attention. The Chinese national reported that with daily usage of 6-8 hours, a split AC monthly electricity bill increases by 30-80 euros; higher-consumption mobile AC monthly bills could reach 50-100 euros.
For this reason, energy efficiency has become a core consideration for local consumers when purchasing AC. On e-commerce platforms, Chinese brands' high-efficiency, energy-saving models also clearly lead in sales.