Europe is experiencing a severesevere/sɪˈvɪr/L2严重的，剧烈的very bad, serious, or extreme heatwave, with daily temperatures above 40°C in several countries. As a result, many people are buying portableportable/ˈpɔːrtəbəl/L2便携的，轻便的able to be easily carried or moved air conditioners, and Chinese companies like Midea and Dreame are the biggest winners. In Europe, only 20% of homes have air conditioning, so this year’s heatwave started in late May and surprised many people. These portable units cost between 400 and 1,000 euros.
"People have been flockingflocking/ˈflɑːkɪŋ/L2蜂拥而至，成群结队地去going somewhere in large numbers to air-conditioned libraries during the day," said Zhang Yuan, an architect in Munich. He noted that many European buildings were not built for such heat. Traditional cooling methods like thick walls and fans do not work well at night. Also, installing air conditioners is difficult because it often needs approvalapproval/əˈpruːvəl/L2批准，许可official permission or agreement from landlords or homeowners' associations.
In addition, Chinese companies have increased production. Midea’s PortaSplit, a portable AC, sold 200,000 units in 2026, double the previous year. Dreame’s P-Wind, which costs 400 euros, sold over 1,000 units each week in June. In total, China’s AC exports to Europe grew by 43% in the first half of 2025. This shows that the European market has great potentialpotential/pəˈtenʃəl/L2潜力，可能性the possibility of something happening or developing for cooling products.
