Hello everyone, I learn from history.
A few days ago, when I was chatting with a foreign student from a certain country, I found that the other person had been complaining about the low penetration rate of air conditioning in Europe. He said that 95% of Europeans did not have air conditioning in their homes. In the hot summer, life was not as comfortable as in China.
When I saw this data, I first doubted the accuracy and whether it was just casual talk. After all, Europe is the birthplace of the industrial revolution , and after hundreds of years of predatory accumulation around the world, it is still the world's largest There is no region with the most developed countries.
If Europeans are so rich, why is the penetration rate of air conditioners so low?
The results were really shocking. Not only were a large number of European students online complaining about Europeans not installing air conditioners, or they would not turn on air conditioners after they were installed;
but also official media reported that only 5% of households in Europe have air conditioners installed. Isn’t this just because 95% of households don’t have air conditioning? The original news description of
states: "According to US media statistics, in Europe, the penetration rate of air conditioners in households is even less than 5%. In comparison, it has reached 90% in the United States, 89% in Japan, and 6% in India."
is Why is the penetration rate of air conditioners in India higher than that in Europe?
In fact, because there are too many European countries, each country is not too big compared to China, so the environment of different countries is different. Some high-latitude countries have short summers, or they are countries near the Alps Their environment is not too hot, so they naturally do not need to install air conditioners;
However, some countries, such as Italy, Germany, France, etc., have high temperatures every summer. The penetration rate of air conditioners in these countries is higher than the overall level in Europe.
Take the Mediterranean country Italy as an example:
According to the "European Times" in June this year, nearly 50% of Italians have air conditioners - as high as 8.8%!
But it is also the "European Times". He also published a very interesting data: just because Italians have air conditioners at home, does not mean they will use them! The report pointed out that 24.1% of Italians who have air conditioners almost never use them. (Then what’s the point of installing it?)
And there are big differences in the installation and use of air conditioners across Italy.
For example, the utilization rate of air conditioning systems in areas close to the Alps and Apennines is understandable. The temperature in mountainous areas is not high, so there is no need to turn on air conditioning. In the Valletta-Aosta region of Italy, close to the Alps, less than 5% of homes have air conditioning.
But as you go south from the mountains of northern Italy, the closer you get to the hot Mediterranean, the popularity of air conditioning gradually increases. For example, in Trentino Alto Adici, the air-conditioning penetration rate is slightly more than 15%; in Morris, central Italy, the rate is about 20%; in Sicily, the air-conditioning penetration rate is as high as 62.4%, ranking second in Italy.
However, among all regions in Italy, the Veneto region (the capital Venice) has the highest share of household air conditioners. 70% of households here are equipped with air conditioners. This may be related to the developed service industry in Venice. After all, tourists are willing to choose Let's stay in air-conditioned hotels and B&Bs, right?
However, Europeans are not willing to use air conditioners. In addition to the environment, there is another important reason - money!
In Europe, buying an air conditioner is much more expensive than in China, because Europe no longer produces air conditioners. The world's air conditioner production in 2020 is 172 million units, of which 140 million units are made in China. China's air conditioner production accounts for the year-round share More than 80% share of the world.
But it is no better than buying an air-conditioning package to install in China, or it only costs one or two hundred to install the air-conditioning. The installation cost of air-conditioning in Europe is astonishing.
For an ordinary split air conditioner that costs 700 euros (approximately RMB 4,840), the installation cost is often the same as the air conditioner itself. If you buy a slightly larger split air conditioner, the installation fee is generally around 2,000 euros (approximately RMB 13,800), or even higher. Such high labor costs directly make Europeans say they can’t afford it!
And Europeans have a clear division of property rights. Even if your air conditioner is placed on your balcony, it still needs the consent of the entire property owner and the property management committee ;
You have to say, I have money, my family lives in a villa, and the property rights are all It's from my home, the main office is OK!
According to media reports, in France, if you want to install an air conditioner in your villa, you have to go to the city hall to check and obtain a permit.
In addition, there is the issue of electricity bills.
Electricity bills in Europe are not cheap to begin with. Now because of the Russo-Ukrainian war, European countries have no energy. Without Russia’s cheap electricity, electricity prices have soared!
In Germany in 2021, one kilowatt hour of electricity only cost 0.3 euros, which is about 2 yuan; by this summer, it has risen to 0.44 euros per kilowatt hour, which is three yuan.
Seeing that the war will not stop, the price of electricity will continue to rise, and the landlords will have no surplus food. I don’t know how much the price of electricity in Europe will rise this winter... (The data comes from the research report of the European data company Statista)
After talking about Europe, Guess what is the penetration rate of air conditioners in China?
According to National Bureau of Statistics data, in 2019, the number of air conditioners owned by Chinese residents reached 115.6 units per 100 households, and the number owned by urban residents reached 148 units per 100 households.
In other words, the average air conditioning penetration rate in our country has exceeded 100%! According to data from urban residents, almost one household has an average of 1.5 air conditioners! The data for
was only 70.4 and 102 in 2013! This means that from 2013 to 2019, the compound growth rate of the popularity of air conditioning among Chinese residents in the past five years has been as high as 64%!
The penetration rate of air conditioning in rural areas has exceeded 60%, far exceeding the European level.
I don’t know, how much will this data increase to by 2022?
I remember that a few years ago, a public figure used the air conditioner outside the power system building to criticize our inequality. What a big change.
In addition, I just checked the air conditioner, and an algorithm recommended to me a short video of air conditioner installation in China. Everyone, look at this densely packed air-conditioning outdoor unit. Isn’t it shocking?
