A fresh wave of extreme heat has pushed a growing number of Poles toward home air conditioning, and the costs of running such equipment are becoming a hot topic. A journalist from Business Insider who installed his AC unit in 2018 has estimated that eight hours of cooling costs about 8.24 PLN per day, or roughly 274.20 PLN a month if the unit runs for 20 days.
Air conditioning is one of the most frequently chosen solutions for people who want to cool apartments and houses. Poland’s record-breaking summer temperatures have made cooling a practical necessity rather than a luxury.
The calculation was described in a Business Insider article. The journalist’s apartment is located on the top floor of a building, directly under the roof, which increases the demand for cooling; the flat also has skylight windows, making comfort harder to maintain during hot weather.
During the hottest weather, the air conditioner works for roughly eight hours a day. If that pattern continues for 20 days in one month, the electricity bill for cooling alone would reach about 274.20 PLN. The figure assumes the device operates for a full eight hours on each of those days.
Electricity is not the only cost connected with an AC installation. A yearly inspection and servicing visit, depending on the scope of work, can cost anywhere from 200 to 500 PLN. Owners should treat this as a routine expense that comes on top of the monthly energy bill.
Political debate over access to cooling
Intensifying heat waves in Europe have also sparked a political discussion about wider access to air conditioning. In France, Eric Ciotti, leader of the Union of the Right party that supports the far-right National Rally (RN), has proposed regulations that would force schools, medical facilities and senior care homes to install air conditioning.
Marine Le Pen has announced that, if she wins the presidential election, she would introduce a broad program to develop air conditioning in France. She argued that access to cooling should be treated as a matter of public health.
EU rules require heating mode
An important technical point for buyers in Poland and elsewhere in the European Union is that since 2010 every AC unit sold in the EU has been required to include a heating function. This means the equipment can also operate as an air-source heat pump, providing a source of heat in cooler months.
Source: WNP.PL, Photo: Shutterstock/Palakorn Jaiman
