June 2026 was the hottest June on record for western Europe and the second warmest globally, according to Copernicus. The three warmest years on record globally were 2024, 2023 and 2025, in that order.
Rising temperatures and heatwaves are pushing more people to use cooling. This is driving up energy demand across Europe. Household energy consumption for cooling in the EU doubled between 2018 and 2024.
So how has energy consumption for cooling been changing across Europe? Which countries saw the highest increases? And in which countries does cooling account for the largest share of energy use?
The amount of household energy consumed for cooling in the EU clearly shows how demand is rising. It increased from 40.5 thousand terajoules (TJ) in 2018 to 80.4 thousand TJ in 2024, an increase of 99%.
In 2010, it stood at just 15.5 thousand TJ, meaning consumption rose by 420% over 14 years.
The catch behind the biggest increases
The change between 2018 and 2024 varies widely across Europe. However, these growth rates should be interpreted with caution.
Some countries that previously used little or no energy for cooling have started adopting air conditioning and other cooling methods. While their consumption remains low, this can result in very high percentage increases.
In Austria, for example, household energy consumption for cooling rose from 22 TJ in 2018 to 253 TJ in 2024.
That makes Austria the country that recorded the largest increase in energy consumption for cooling between 2018 and 2024, at over 1,000%. Among EU countries, Czechia saw a 244% increase in energy use for cooling. Italy ranks third with a 193% rise, highlighting how demand continues to grow even in a country where air conditioning is already commonplace.
Energy consumption for space cooling also more than doubled in Hungary (171%), Finland (163%), Spain (127%), Slovenia (114%) and Greece (103%) over the period.
Alongside Italy, the increases in Spain and Greece show how cooling needs are rising across southern Europe.
Among the EU’s largest economies, France saw a 52% rise while Germany remained comparatively stable with just an 8% increase.
A zero in the chart indicates that no energy consumption for cooling was reported, not that there was no increase.
Cooling accounts for a significant share in some countries
The share of energy used for space cooling in final household consumption varies widely across Europe, reflecting differences in climate and geography.
As of 2024, the EU average was just 0.84%, or below 1%.
However, cooling accounts for a significant share of household energy use in some countries. Cyprus leads with 16% of household energy consumption used for cooling. It is also in double digits in Malta (15%) and Albania (13.4%), an EU candidate country.
In Greece, 7.4% of household energy consumption goes to cooling. The share is above 2% in North Macedonia (3%), Montenegro (2.9%), Spain (2.5%), Italy (2.3%) and Croatia (2.1%).
Italy uses a third of the EU’s energy for cooling
Italy (26.3 thousand TJ) has the highest energy consumption for cooling in the EU. More significantly, it accounts for almost a third of the EU total, at 32.7%.
Spain ranks second in both share and absolute consumption, at 17.8% and 14.3 thousand TJ. Greece has the third-highest share in the EU, at 14.8%, well above France (11.8%).
When candidate countries are included, Turkey has the third-highest energy consumption for cooling, at 13.6 thousand TJ.
June 2026 heatwaves drive up electricity demand and prices
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,with France recording the biggest increase. According to France’s grid operator RTE, every 1°C rise in temperature typically adds between 0.7 GW and 1 GW of electricity demand, with cooling likely accounting for an extra 10 to 14 GW during the hottest days.
The higher demand pushed wholesale power prices sharply higher. Prices topped €200 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in Germany, reached almost €160/MWh in France and exceeded €110/MWh in Spain. The spike was driven not only by rising cooling demand but also by constrained supply, as weak wind generation in Germany coincided with temporary cuts to French nuclear output caused by unusually warm river water. While wholesale price surges do not immediately feed through to household bills, prolonged increases can eventually raise retail electricity prices.
Europe warms twice as fast as the global average
Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating up twice as fast as the global average. According to FAO data, the 10 countries experiencing the highest temperature increases in 2023 were all in Europe, reflecting the growing impact of climate change on the continent.