Airconditioning in Paris

 

Due to global warming, summers in Paris are coming sooner and staying longer. Humidity is no better. It is rare that you see an air conditioned bus, metro, tram, restaurant and, even hospital rooms. The large department stores may be air conditioned, but it will feel more like a wisp of cool air. 

Here's a solution if you plan on living in Paris for e.g., a full year. I digress, my first appliance I purchased in 2008 was a portable a/c. Go figure?

There's an old belief that breeze and air conditioned air will make you sick. Plus Parisians really don't like air conditioning, they prefer fans to air conditioning, since they feel the hot spells are short, which we now know is no longer true. I'm generalizing, but there's a belief even direct fan air will make you sick. 

In fact, there was a mortal heat wave just in 2019 that took away hundreds of lives. Click on this link for details. Heatwave kills, The worst was in 2003.

"The 2003 European heat wave saw the hottest summer recorded in Europe since at least 1540. France was hit especially hard. The heat wave led to health crises in several countries and combined with drought to create a crop shortfall in parts of Southern Europe. The death toll has been estimated at more than 70,000."

The government learned from this, mobilized and gave fans to the e.g., the elderly.

With that said, the question I get asked a lot from Americans in Paris is about air conditioning. As mentioned before Parisians do not like a/c,

Central air conditioning is very, very rare. There are split air conditioners in Paris, but many neighbors will not appreciate them, unless your condenser is on the roof, because of the noise. Condenser can be loud and noisy, especially when your neighbor's windows are next to it and they have their windows open during the night. I've known friends who had neighbors complain about their a/c condensers and the syndic (HOA) demanded they be removed.

Solution, portable air conditioners with combo heaters are readily available through e.g., Darty or Amazon.fr, they are a life-saver, but keep in mind the condenser is within the machine, hence, it can be a bit noisy for some inside your home. I usually turn mine off at midnight, because I’m noise sensitive, especially with the cycling off and on.

Another question, because we have weird shape windows in Paris, how do you prevent the cold air from escaping.  At Amazon.fr they have several types of covers for the window that are like thick shower curtains that attach by velcro. Two-zippers one for exiting, and one for the hose. They come for all different size windows and shapes. They're called...

"Tissu De Calfeutrage pour Fenêtres pour Climatiseur Mobile"

Now if you're visiting and are sensitive to heat and humidity, major hotels have a/c. Some of the smaller ones may not. Same goes for Airbnb. So make sure it says it's air conditioned. If it makes no references to an a/c, it's likely they do not have a/c. They do exist. 

With that I say, enjoy your summer in Paris. Drink lots of water stay hydrated and don't overheat.