Europe Air Conditioning Installation Fees Up to 1500 Euros, Chinese AC Exports Hot Selling

Recently, extreme heatwaves have been sweeping across Europe, with Germany, the UK, France, and other countries continuously breaking high-temperature records, leading to heat warnings in multiple nations. Against this backdrop, Chinese-made air conditioners and other cooling appliances have become hot products locally, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units on e-commerce platforms and offline stores even experiencing shortages.

Temperatures Over 40°C Persist, Multiple Countries Issue Heat Alerts

According to CCTV News, officials from the World Meteorological Organization said the heatwave that recently swept Western Europe and broke multiple temperature records will continue to spread eastward, affecting the entire European continent.

Data show that France has endured several consecutive days of heatwave, with temperatures in western France rising to 43°C, the highest June temperature on record in France; the UK's high-temperature records were broken for three consecutive days from June 24 to 26, reaching 37.3°C on the 26th; the Merken-Drewitz area in eastern Germany recorded a temperature of 41.5°C on the 27th, a new record; the Italian government issued red heat alerts for 18 cities including Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milan.

Despite temperatures hitting new highs, air conditioning penetration in European countries remains far below other major economies, with only about 20% of households equipped with cooling appliances like AC.

Suppressed Demand: Europe's Historical Climate and Policy Restrictions

Multiple factors are at play: historically, European summers, especially in the north, did not frequently see prolonged high temperatures, so demand for AC installation was low. Meanwhile, to address climate change, European countries have set green development goals, and some have policies restricting AC use. For example, Spain introduced a regulation in 2022 that public places must not set AC temperatures below 27°C.

E-commerce Monthly Sales Exceed 10,000; Chinese Brands Break Through with Value

Under the scorching heat, home cooling demand has surged. According to reports, in France, the price range for ordinary mobile AC is 200 to 500 euros, while split AC costs about 500 to 1,200 euros.

Blue Whale reporters checked Amazon France and found that in the best-seller ranking, the top two are both Midea AC: over 10,000 customers purchased in the past month at a price of 166 euros; another model had over 7,000 orders at 459 euros.

In this heatwave, domestic brands have become the first choice for many local consumers due to their cost-performance advantage. A Chinese person who has lived in Paris for ten years said that brands like Midea, Haier, and Gree are available in France, and with the same configuration, Chinese brands are generally much cheaper than European and Japanese brands.

According to CCTV News, in the first five months of 2026, China's household AC exports to Western European countries increased by 9.7% year-on-year, with mobile AC categories seeing particularly strong growth, up over 70%. Many companies report that consumers in multiple Western European markets are queuing to buy, offline stores are out of stock, and supply is falling short of demand.

Can Afford to Buy, but Can't Afford to Install: Fees Up to 1,500 Euros

Buying an AC in Europe is not the hardest part; what truly deters consumers is the installation process. The cost of a single split AC installation generally ranges from 300 to 1,500 euros, with the highest quotes even exceeding the cost of the AC unit itself.

The high installation fees are due to several reasons: buildings in Paris are often decades or even centuries old, with thick walls making drilling much more difficult than in modern buildings; installing outdoor units for high-rise apartments involves high-altitude work with higher risk factors; most apartments also require prior installation applications to property management, which must be approved by the owners' committee before construction can proceed, creating a cumbersome process; and local installation workers have high hourly rates. These overlapping costs make split AC an appliance that 'can be bought but not installed.'

As a result, portable mobile ACs have become the preferred cooling option for local residents, especially renters.

Customized Window Units Bypass Drilling and Approval

In response to Europe's facade protection restrictions and high labor costs, Chinese companies have introduced customized products. For example, the 'Midea U-Shaped Smart Inverter Window AC,' which has monthly sales exceeding 7,000 units, features a U-shaped hollow design that slots into a window gap for use, allowing the window to still open and close partially, thus avoiding the labor costs, property approvals, and wall drilling issues of split ACs. It is a popular model in overseas rental markets.

Electricity Costs Also Significant; Energy Efficiency Becomes Key Purchase Criterion

Beyond the purchase cost, subsequent electricity bills are also a concern. Local Chinese feedback indicates that based on daily usage habits of 6-8 hours, a split AC will increase monthly electricity bills by 30-80 euros, while a higher-energy-consumption mobile AC may add 50-100 euros per month.

For this reason, energy efficiency has become a core consideration for local consumers when choosing an AC. On e-commerce platforms, high-efficiency energy-saving models from Chinese brands clearly lead in sales.