One in five homes have air conditioning as heatwaves increase

Around one-fifth of households in the Netherlands has air conditioning installed as people deal with the prospect of warmer summers and more frequent heatwaves.

The statistics agency CBS said the number of units installed in homes has shot up from 87,000 in 2016 to 1.7 million last year. Altogether 2.2 million units are used in homes, offices, universities and shops, a tenfold increase in the last decade.

Some houses have more than one unit, making it difficult to calculate what proportion of households are cooled by air conditioning, but the CBS estimates that one-fifth of family homes now have them.

The trend reflects the increased frequency of summer heatwaves in the last 15 years: 10 of the 39 heatwaves recorded since 1901 have happened since 2013, including two last year.

The 40th could be declared in the next few days as temperatures push past 35C in many parts of the country. A national heatwave is defined as five successive days above 25C, including three days of more than 30C, measured at the national weather station in De Bilt, near Utrecht.

Last year a record 300,000 air conditioning units were installed, according to sector organisation Techniek Nederland.

Households also use air conditioning to heat their homes in winter, which is cheaper than gas but adds to the strain on the electricity network.

One in three people told the CBS in a survey in 2023 that they could not cool their houses enough on hot days. More than half of tenants, who are unable to install air conditioning in their own homes, complained of summer heat, while for owner-occupiers the proportion was 25%.