每到夏天，欧洲缺空调的新闻都会冲上热搜。去年是法国抠门，连奥运会都不给装空调。今年又是热浪袭来，欧洲到这八月，几拨热浪已经让数十人丧生。

欧洲缺空调是个不争的事实。中国随便看个小区，外墙上都挂满了空调挂机。根据国际能源署（International Energy Agency）的统计，美国的空调安装率也在90%以上，而欧洲这一数据只在20-30%之间。

In China, it's hard to find a residential building without air conditioners mounted all over the exterior walls. According to the International Energy Agency, over 90 percent of US homes had air conditioning by 2022, while in Europe, that number hovers between 20 and 30 percent.

这事背后的原因并不复杂。

01 纬度高，温度就不高

欧洲具体能分成东欧、西欧、北欧、南欧和中欧。在这些欧洲碎块中，在国内认知度比较高的城市，基本都集中在中欧、西欧那一带，比较偏北。

有多北呢？

购物爱好者常去的巴黎处在北纬48.8度，比我国吉林市还高5度；笔者所在的布鲁塞尔大约处于北纬50.8度，跟我国黑龙江大兴安岭地区持平；著名非旅游城市柏林的纬度更是高达52.5度，跟我国最北端的漠河一个水平，再往北就跟西伯利亚差不多了。离北极圈越近，当然就越感受不到太多热量，八月份的柏林日均温度竟然在20多摄氏度，空调一年也就只开几天，不算是刚需。

Many of Europe's major cities are located at high latitudes. Paris sits at 48 degrees, 48 minutes north latitude, Brussels at 50 degrees, 48 minutes north latitude, and Berlin at 52 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude — the same latitude as Mohe, the northernmost town in China. Go not much farther north and you're in Siberia.

At these latitudes, summer isn't traditionally hot enough to make air conditioning essential. Berlin's average daily temperature in August barely climbs above 20 C. In that context, an air conditioner doesn't feel necessary most of the year.



柏林8月份天气预报 截图自Time and Date网站

南欧意大利和希腊那块纬度低，但也只是相对低。我们都觉得罗马很靠南了，但也位于北纬41度多，比北京还是高出2度，在中国属于东北地区。即使到了很南端的西西里岛，也是北纬37度，比我国济南还高点。

Even Southern Europe isn't all that south. Rome, for instance, is at 41 degrees, 54 minutes north latitude — still farther north than Beijing. For centuries, most of Europe simply didn't need artificial cooling. The architecture, habits, and expectations were shaped by a different climate.

But global warming is rapidly changing that equation. Over the past decade, summer heat waves have become more frequent and more intense. Countries like France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands — once considered comfortably temperate — have seen record-breaking temperatures. Even in Brussels, where one might expect a mild July, the mercury has occasionally soared to nearly 40 C, making the inside of a stone house feel more like a kiln.

南欧这个南，放在中国只能算北方，连秦岭淮河都到不了。并且，全欧洲的主食都是小麦和土豆，还真没什么大米产区，更坐实了他们是北方人的论断。



布鲁塞尔名菜意大利面，其实全欧洲的名菜都是意大利面。摄影：张周项

正因为如此，欧洲大部分地区本就没有装空调的传统。也是这个原因，欧洲才有夏令时制度，夏天全民把表拨快一小时，冬天再拨回去。夏天把表调快一小时，确实能让路灯亮起更晚，节省了不少能源。但大家看看窗外亮如白昼的天光再看看表盘上显示的十点半，总有一种奇幻之感。



晚上八点的巴黎塞纳河边，别急着羡慕，夏天有多爽冬天就有多惨。摄影：张周项

冬天把表往后拨一个小时，假装是四点天黑而不是三点天黑，多少能给漫漫长夜中的自己提供点情绪价值，这里可是抑郁症高发地区，大家冬天都要吃药片补充维生素D的。

不过随着全球变暖，过去十年间法国德国荷比卢夏季也进入火炉模式，尤其是极端高温凸显。即使在北纬50.8度的布鲁塞尔，七月也有几天气温逼近40摄氏度，热得人如同置身烧烤笼中。

在这种情况下，欧洲人还硬挺着不装空调，就要看到另一个原因了。

02 “房龄坚决不能超过我爷爷！”

全球极端天气频发，欧洲空调普及率依然低迷，一个很重要的原因是房子。

欧洲的不少建筑实在太老了，根本承受不起空调这么个新事物。我刚来租房时，面对一处上个世纪60年代的房源，曾经与中介有过这么一次对话：

我：“您不觉得您推荐的这处房子有点老吗？比我还老二十多岁！”

中介：“在比利时定义老房子的标准比您想象的要高……我要给您推荐的下一处房源200多岁了，建于拿破仑战争期间，您住在里边可以充分感受到历史。”

我：“谢谢，不了。我们还是继续找和我爸爸一个辈分的房子吧。最多到我爷爷。”

When I first arrived in Brussels trying to rent an apartment, I had an amusing exchange with a local real estate agent while touring a property built in the 1960s:

Me: "Don't you think this place is a bit too old? It's more than 20 years older than I am!"

Agent: "In Belgium, your definition of an 'old building' may need some adjustment … The next place I'm going to show you is over 200 years old, built during the Napoleonic Wars. You'll be living inside history!"

Me: "Thanks, but no thanks. I'd prefer something from my own or my daddy's generation — grandpa's at most."



猜一猜，这所位于布鲁塞尔市中心的在售房子，建成时发生了哪件历史大事？

A：哥伦布发现新大陆

B：成吉思汗进军欧洲

C：清朝光绪帝即位

D：抗日战争胜利

答案：C。这座房子始建于1874年，完全建成后清朝光绪皇帝刚继位。

点击空白处查看答案解析



猜一猜，这座出租的白色小房子里住过哪位历史名人？

A：马克斯·韦伯（Max Weber）

B：卡尔·马克思（Karl Marx）

C：埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）

答案：B，请看下图铭牌



点击空白处查看答案解析

有人说，欧洲的房子能撑这么久，说明建筑质量好，用的石材很坚固。关于这点阅房无数的我举双手同意，确实当地房子以石料为主，有些千年古堡更是拿巨大石头垒起来高墙，看着摸着都有一种厚重感历史感沧桑感。

但是……我要强调一下……

房子撑得久不代表人能住得好！比利时法律规定，房子必须有合格的电路系统、供暖设施、上下水以及消防工具才能够住人。这条规定很赞，因为有电有水有火有网本就是现代人住房的基本需求，但是这些基本需求老房子要满足起来竟然很难很难：

老石头房子优先考虑的是安全需求，屋顶高窗台小，主打一个易守难攻，方便主人从里边用长矛攻击入侵者。但高房顶对于保暖是个负面因素，物理定律告诉我们，热空气往高处飘，在两人摞起来都够不到顶的房间里，开再大功率的小太阳都感受不到什么热量。欧洲对房子都有个能源评级，指的是输入同等热量时房子的保暖效果，老房子排名普遍靠后得厉害。

老房子开始建的时候，人类还没有发明电力系统和现代自来水系统，自然不可能预留任何强电弱电水管入户孔道。要给这些鸦片战争前的老房子装电路和水管，必须额外打眼，这时候厚重的石料就成了沉重的负担，在这些能防大炮轰的古堡条石面前，电工的钻头根本无从施展。

One key reason is the age of the buildings themselves. Many homes were built long before air conditioning — or even modern electricity system — existed, and they, standing for two or more centuries, were designed with defense in mind.

These buildings typically have thick walls, high ceilings, and small windows. The goal wasn't comfort, but security — making them hard to invade and easy to defend.

A high ceiling may look grand for this purpose, but in winter it's a nightmare. Middle school physics tells us that warm air rises, so even when you crank up the heat, the warmth floats uselessly above your head. Most of these homes receive poor energy-efficiency ratings for good reason.

Adding modern systems to these structures is a logistical headache. There were no electrical grids or plumbing systems when they were built, so there's no room to run modern wiring, pipes, or HVAC ducts. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Drilling through walls built from fortressgrade stone isn't easy. These are materials designed to withstand cannonballs, not accommodate coolant lines or mounting brackets for outdoor compressor units



布鲁塞尔街边某古堡照片。这样的城堡，谁敢去装空调？摄影：张珺尧

本篇的推送主题是空调。忘了空调吧亲爱的读者们，连水电路都走不明白的老石头房子，能指望它接外机、接内机、穿粗管、装空调？

而且再坚固的石料也经不起岁月的沧桑，伟大壮丽的城堡也终有一天会变成危房。这时的老古董又成了个新麻烦，欧洲多国法律规定，对于受保护的老建筑，可以修缮但不能重建，无论如何要保持其外立面。

上有政策下有对策。在这条规定下，欧洲劳动人民发挥聪明才智，愣是开发出了下图这种面子工程施工法：



布鲁塞尔市中心的施工工地。摄影：张周项

里边拆得精光，外边只留一堵墙。不要紧，只要这堵墙在，老古董建筑就算保护住了，这工施的也就合法了，在法律上就可以归类为修缮而不是重建。

话说这真的不是骗自己吗？

Even if the building starts to crumble, you can't just tear it down and rebuild. Many old structures are legally protected, classified as historical or cultural heritage. Insuch cases, the law often forbids complete demolition and requires that the original facade be preserved, even if everything else needs to go.

So, in a uniquely European work-around, developers often

strip the interior bare, gutting everything down to the last beam, while leaving one lonely wall standing. That way, the project is still technically a "renovation", not a rebuild, and the law is satisfied.

03 欧洲人环保，真是省钱的环保

纬度高、房子老，已经基本能解释为什么欧洲人不装空调了。但社交媒体上偏偏流传着一种说法，说欧洲人都很重视环保，为了地球的明天，宁可肉身扛烧烤天也绝不装空调。

以我在这里的经验，这个问题要一分为二看。

一方面，不少欧洲知识分子确实比较关心地球、关心人类，愿意为了减缓全球气候变化而忍一忍。7月份笔者去拜访比利时根特大学教授、著名汉学家巴特·德塞恩（Bart Dessein）时就赶上一波热浪，老教授和我一起在热到发烫的空气里苦熬，一边擦汗一边说“空调多了，气候变化就加速了。”



笔者与Bart Dessein教授的自拍。摄影：张周项

但不是每个人都有老汉学家的觉悟，普通欧洲人的环保热情主要靠经济诱惑来保证。比如欧盟成员国都有着详细的垃圾分类制度，比利时更是高度复杂，给垃圾分个类堪比手解一元二次方程。下边这四种颜色的袋子只是比利时垃圾袋的一部分，这里的垃圾袋要分为：

装厨余垃圾的；

装金属和塑料的；

装干净纸的；

装厕纸的；

装被披萨污染过的纸的……



比利时N种垃圾袋中的四种。摄影：张周项

别说咱一个初到不久的老外，就是本地人也对此心生畏惧。我有一个法国朋友，每次来比利时游玩，产生的垃圾都是放在袋子里带回法国扔，因为法国垃圾分类好歹比比利时粗糙一点，塑料和干净纸能放在一个袋子里。

比利时人民能接受如此严格的垃圾分类，一个重要驱动力就是钱。这里的环保部门“虎视眈眈”，随时准备着给每一位垃圾分错的居民开出350欧元的天价罚单。

挣钱不易，跟350欧元比起来，解个方程算什么啊。

欧洲人捡瓶子的热情也很高，笔者三个月见到过不下五次有人装一袋瓶子拖着走，甚至有次一位夏天穿貂的女士拉着一大袋子瓶子坐公交。但那是有经济因素支撑的，毕竟每个汽水瓶能换零点几欧元，一大袋子能换20欧元，对不少欧洲人来说不算看不上的钱。

欧洲人节省能源也是动力满满，因为电费贵而油费便宜。比利时的电价由市场调控，几大电力公司价格有差异，差不多一度电0.4欧元是正常价格，是国内电价的七倍左右。欧洲家庭用电的地方多了去了，做饭用电磁炉和烤箱、取暖用电暖器，算下来价格可不低。



欧洲典型的电磁炉灶台。摄影：王蓝鲸

再考虑到不少人住的老房子有壁炉，欧洲超市有一种咱们国内很少见的商品：木柴，主要供大家生火用。果然只要有经济利益驱动，人什么事干得出来。



五千克袋装木柴，卖5.99欧元，算下来可能还比电费取暖更划算。摄影：张周项

Energy costs are another major barrier. In Belgium, for example, the average electricity price for residential consumers is around 0.40 euros ($0.47) per kilowatthour. That's nearly seven times the average price in China. And European homes already consume a lot of electricity: cooking is often done with electric ovens and induction stoves, and heating in winter may involve electric radiators. Add in a few weeks of air conditioning, and monthly power bills can become hard to manage.

That's why fireplaces remain a practical solution for many. In fact, European supermarkets sell firewood as a household staple — something rarely seen in modern Chinese or East Asian cities. When heating a home means lighting a fire, and cooling it means opening the window, it's easy to see why the economics of air conditioning don't make much sense for many households.

在经济因素不是特别起作用时，欧洲人会不会继续保持生态环保、艰苦朴素的作风就很难说了。笔者出差住了家竟然有空调的酒店，插卡取电十分钟后给冻得瑟瑟发抖，忍着刺骨的冷风挪到控制面板一看，默认设置的空调温度竟然是5摄氏度……

过了一会笔者出门时发现地有点脏，就请前台安排保洁来打扫。等笔者归来，只见小伙干净利落地打开窗，一边通风一边在空调的冷风中擦地。我瞟了一眼控制面板，又被设定回了5摄氏度。

合着节省能源这事，主要取决于电费账单寄给谁呗？

记者：张周项