tado° Indoor Heat Map: Spanish and Italian homes break 30°C barrier during hottest month on record
Homes in Spain and Italy heated up to sweltering 30°C in July as average maximum outdoor temperatures climbed to new records above 45°C
Average indoor temperature of 28°C kept Germans from being productive at home
Indoor temperatures staid above uncomfortable 25°C even in cool Brittania
Swedish homes keep in the heat - in winter as well as in summer
Munich, 21.08.2023: With yet another heatwave rolling across Europe in August, the tado° Indoor Heat Map shows the effects of the hottest month in history worldwide[1] on homes across Europe: In July, indoor temperatures of Spanish and Italian households increased to new sweltering heights. While the average outdoor temperature climbed above 45°C, the median indoor temperatures peaked at 30.7°C in Italy and 30.3°C in Spain. The tado° Indoor Heat Map also showed that despite cooler temperatures in other parts of Europe, the median indoor temperature in any of the European countries never fell below 25°C. This heavily impacted wellbeing and productivity at home, while explaining the growing demand for air conditioners across Europe [2]. For the tado° Indoor Heat Map tado° analyzed indoor temperatures in more than 590,000 homes across Europe.
Scandinavian homes heat up and stay hot
In the summer months when the mercury regularly hits temperatures outdoors above 40°C especially in the Mediterranean, higher temperatures have been something that all Europeans increasingly struggle with. Research shows that exposure to heatwaves increased by 57% on average in 2010–19 compared with 2000–09 [3]. Even cooler regions are affected.
Swedish homes, like all Scandinavian homes, are built to keep their inhabitants warm. While this is essential in winter, the tado° Indoor Heat Map shows that it has a negative effect during the summer: Despite relatively moderate outdoor temperatures around 30°C the median indoor temperatures averaged at 26.8°C in Sweden, 27.5°C in Denmark and 27.2°C in Norway. In comparison, the median indoor temperature in German homes was only slightly higher, 28°C, but the maximum outdoor temperatures soared to 37.4°C.
Indoor temperatures above 22°C affect health and wellbeing
Heat impacts everyone as it can harm the body’s ability to regulate temperatures, especially in combination with high relative humidity above 60 percent. For example, above an indoor temperature of 22°C, exhaustion and sleepiness increase and the willingness to exert oneself decreases considerably. [4] From 25°C, restful sleep is hardly possible.
In addition to concentration, productivity or sleep, high temperatures affect health in general. People older than 65 years in particular suffer due to a higher prevalence of chronic medical conditions which increase the risk for their health. [5] With an aging population, a record of 94.2 million Europeans over the age of 65 were exposed to heatwaves in 2022. [6]
Cooling down heatwave hotspot Europe
As part of their heatwave action plans governments and health organisations recommend staying at home during the hottest time of the day. However, most European homes are not cool enough to stay healthy and productive according to the tado° Indoor Heat Map. In many regions, very few homes are prepared to beat the heat through air conditioners (AC). [7] In Germany, for example, only 3% of households are equipped with an AC.
However, the demand is growing, and ACs are becoming more popular across the whole region. By 2050 the number of ACs in the EU will double to 275 million, the IEA estimates, and so too will energy consumption. [8]
Energy efficiency is key
Europe is already struggling to manage the energy demand of its winters. With increased AC usage on the horizon, the continent is facing energy scarcity in the summer months, too.
In addition to more energy-efficient AC technology, smart AC controls allow owners to operate ACs more efficiently to reduce energy consumption as well as costs. They use intelligent algorithms as well as smart features like geofencing and open window detection to only cool when it is needed. Christian Deilmann, CPO and Co-Founder of tado° says: “In extreme heat a cool home becomes a basic human need. With the planet heating up to record highs every summer, using an AC is often the only way to stay cool, healthy and productive. But it also increases household spendings on energy. One way to stay on top of energy consumption is to intelligently manage it with solutions like the tado° Smart AC control.”
About tado°
tado° is the European leader in intelligent home climate management and provider of energy management solutions for residential buildings. As the only cross-manufacturer platform, tado° Smart Thermostats and services connect with any kind of heating or cooling system. Customers benefit from energy-saving technology such as Geofencing and Open Window Detection as well as time-of-use energy offerings. Founded in Munich, 2011, and with 180 employees, tado° reshapes the way energy is consumed for more comfort, savings, and in sync with nature. www.tado.com
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Press contact Annette Wiedemann
tado GmbH Sapporobogen 6-8, 80637, Munich
[2] Colelli, F.P., Wing, I.S. & Cian, E.D. Air-conditioning adoption and electricity demand highlight climate change mitigation–adaptation tradeoffs. Sci Rep 13, 4413 (2023). [3] The 2022 Europe report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change [4] German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [5] The 2022 Europe report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change [6] Eurostat: Population structure and ageing [7] The 2022 Europe report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change [8] International Energy Agency