Eurostat: Energy use for cooling in EU households doubled in six years

Brussels – There has been a steady, gradual increase in energy consumption for domestic cooling: in the European Union, this reached 80,400 terajoules (TJ) in 2024, double the 2018 figure of 40,500 TJ. According to Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, as temperatures rise, air conditioning is playing an increasingly important role in combating the heat. Between 2018 and 2024, consumption rose every year, except for 2023 (-1.9 per cent) and 2020 (-2.5 per cent), which declined compared with previous years.

Among EU countries, Italy, Spain, and Greece recorded the highest total energy consumption for space cooling in 2024, at 26,300 TJ, 14,300 TJ and 11,900 TJ, respectively. However, Cyprus and Malta have by far the highest share of household final energy consumption used for cooling, at 16% and 15%, respectively. In Greece, 7.4 per cent of household energy consumption was for cooling, while in Spain and Italy the figures were lower, at 2.5 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively.