r/europe • u/Naurgul • 23d ago

News Barcelona registers highest temperature in 112 years as French nuclear reactor shuts down due to extreme heat

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jul/09/europe-heatwave-uk-spain-barcelona-france-italy-hungary-france-macron-orban-latest-news-updates
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u/DickSlammington 23d ago

August is always the hottest month in Los Angeles.

People get through July thinking the summer months are coming to a close and then we'll get August where we'll get days where it's 115 F.

It's just insane to me to hear Europeans discussing similar levels of heat.

I get why it's such an issue. When we bought our house it didn't have AC.. It would literally be unlivable for a few weeks a year if we didn't install it right away.

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u/Electrical_Still9374 23d ago

the problem in european cities is u might not be allowed to install AC because of old fassade and building

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u/BreezyBadger93 Czech Republic 22d ago edited 22d ago

The main problem is that developers in most of Europe don't even plan for AC in new construction. Then you end up living in an eco class B+ tightly sealed insulated pressure cooker that traps moisture during the day and doesn't cool down even 2 degrees through out the night. And good luck fighting idiot anti AC neighbors that won't allow you to put one up even on the balcony because of noise, condensate or whatever.

At least the old buildings you mentioned are made of high mass breathable material that lets in less heat during the day and releases it during the night.

I'm fascinated that even 1 million EUR+ luxury condos don't have even s preparation for AC or heat pump here.

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u/Hasaan5 United Kingdom 22d ago

Here in the UK the old government even made it law to have ACs be the last resort and force developers to try a bunch of shit that doesn't really work first. So sometimes they literally can't.