What It Costs to Run Air Conditioning in Europe

Where I run my stores, power costs over 30¢ a kWh and the AC never gets a season off. Southern Europe isn't far behind on price, and summers there are getting hotter and longer. Northern Europe has the opposite problem: homes weren't built for air conditioning, and a portable unit bought in a heatwave can be the most expensive way to cool a room. These pages put numbers on both.

Cost to run AC by country

The unit is rated EU SEER 6.1 (energy class A++): it moves about 6.1 units of heat for every unit of electricity, which is why 3.5 kW of cooling takes only about 0.57 kWh. Each country uses the price that best matches what AC adds to a bill, and the source differs by country (see each page). U.S. cents use €1 = $1.116 and £1 = $1.318 (October 14, 2026).

Climate matters more than price

The EU energy label assumes an air conditioner runs about 350 full-load hours a year, based on an average European climate. Real homes vary far more than that. Our estimates run from about 1,600 hours in Nicosia and 1,200 in Seville down to 250 in Paris and 30 in Edinburgh. That's why the yearly cost in Seville can be several times the cost in Paris, even though a kWh costs about the same, and why Malta, with some of the cheapest power in Europe, still spends more on cooling than Germany.

Split or portable?

A portable unit is the quick fix in a heatwave, but it's the expensive way to cool. It draws about 1 kW, and its exhaust hose pushes air outside that's replaced by warm air leaking back in. A 3.5 kW split unit at SEER 6.1 draws about 0.57 kW on average while delivering more cooling. A split unit costs more to buy and install, but much less to run, and many are also heat pumps that heat efficiently in winter.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and method

• Italy: Eurostat, electricity prices for household consumers (nrg_pc_204), 2,500–4,999 kWh a year, all taxes and levies.
• United Kingdom: Ofgem energy price cap, electricity unit rate, Direct Debit, GB average, October 1 to December 31, 2026.
• Cyprus: Eurostat, electricity prices for household consumers (nrg_pc_204), 2,500–4,999 kWh a year, all taxes and levies.
• Spain: Eurostat, electricity prices for household consumers (nrg_pc_204), 2,500–4,999 kWh a year, all taxes and levies.
• Greece: Eurostat, electricity prices for household consumers (nrg_pc_204), 2,500–4,999 kWh a year, all taxes and levies.
• Portugal: Regulated tariff (SU Eletricidade, ERSE), simple tariff at 6.9 kVA: €0.1711/kWh before VAT (Selectra, updated October 13, 2026), plus 23% VAT.
• France: EDF Tarif Bleu regulated tariff (TRVE), Base option, price per kWh including tax, from August 1, 2026.
• Malta: Eurostat, electricity prices for household consumers (nrg_pc_204), 2,500–4,999 kWh a year, all taxes and levies.
• Electricity used (kWh) = cooling capacity (kW) ÷ SEER × hours; cost = kWh × price. Cooling hours by city are our estimate.

Also see the Caribbean, Canada and every U.S. state.