EU commissioners shut down air conditioning for employees, leave theirs on

Just adding some context on the AC and the building as well which was explained by journalist David Carretta (who follows EU politics, written in Italian) here https://x.com/davcarretta/status/2071592636260012175.

To summarise, AC was turned off floor by floor, with the switch off starting from 16:00 over a Friday, a time when most administrative personnel is getting off work for the weekend. The entire building had AC switched off by the end of the day, including the upper floors. Note that AC was working fine this Monday.

The first image is telling: A glass building in front of a white hard-floor plaza with just one small tree for shade

Nothing specific to the European commission though, we just don't hate mainstream architects enough

> The heat wave has prompted a renewed discussion about the lack of air-conditioning systems in homes and offices across much of Europe

Discussion, common sense requires discussion. All you need to know about them in one sentence.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

"even with working AC, the temperature inside was still 25.7 degrees."

So 78F. I wonder what temp the lower/non-AC floors are at. It's reasonable if they want to prevent the upper floors from becoming insanely hot, since hot air rises.

Yes Minister on point as usual

https://youtu.be/x-HBsT6GmMs?t=69

"A third staffer working on the 8th floor told POLITICO on Friday that even with working AC, the temperature inside was still 25.7 degrees."

I set my AC to 26 degrees. Otherwise it feels too cold.

Reminds me of Animal Farm.

Air conditioning weirdness around the EU: I live in the EU and everyone I know, including not too well off people on benefits and pensions, have aircon. I have multiple houses and dozens of aircons, but many friends in small apartments have them too, mostly since covid. In one house I have them running summer and winter 247 and the electric bill is still below 100E, way lower than people with swimming pools.

This is Daily Mail (or Fox News for fellow Americans) level tripe, and you can be almost sure of this just based on the title. Designed for dopamine maximization.

With new inexpensive mini splits that do not require ducts, one would think adoption would go up?

And all of those Europeans that had comments about the Texas ERCOT warnings of heavy loads during extreme weather. Although, it's been a while since I've received notices/requests to adjust the use even if they were bump it up a few degrees vs turn it off.

Imagine offices- who have temperatures of 30+ directly beneath the roof. AC where the heat-exchangers are built inside the buildings and other nonsense on top. Europe is so not ready, while preaching to the world about getting ready.

wow that’s an ugly look.

Kinda weird though even for Europe that a high profile 10+ floor commercial building doesn’t have suitable climate control

Up vs down, always. Not surprising in the least.

The whole conversation about upper and lower floors is absurd. Obviously the upper floors are absorbing more sunlight and need more cooling.

Ground level and basement floors have been known as the coolest places in skyscrapers for centuries.

What really appalls me is that they have now started to blame Americans for the heatwave that the hot air from AC units are to blame and doubling down on their insistence that AC are harmful to the climate and telling people to not use AC.

I really think that this is the straw that breaks the camel's back moment for EU. Right now people are learning that EU = unbearable heat and other things.

If the people in the lower decks were allowed to go home, I don't see the issue.

If they were forced to work without air conditioning and it was me, I would go to a doctor, tell them I am suffering from heat exhaustion, and get a voucher for not returning to work until the situation gets fixed.

Related and a little ironic: houses in northern Europe nowadays typically have "AC" in the form of air-to-air heat pumps that both can heat and cool. Houses in southern and central Europe dramatically lag behind in terms of adoption.

> Due to extreme weather conditions, forced shut down of air cooling system from floor 1 to 7 for the rest of the day

It's like satire. What is AC for if not extreme heat?

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Why the fuck does extreme heat require turning off the AC?