Follow the Money: Europe’s air-con economy

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With Europe sweltering in intense heat and demand for air-conditioners soaring, who's making money from supplying them?We follow the supply chain from a factory churning out air-con units in China to retailers across Europe scrambling to secure stock as demand surges. In France, where repeated heat waves have driven sales higher, shoppers have been fighting in supermarkets to get hold of them.We also examine the cost of powering air-conditioners and the impact their growing use is having on energy prices. And we ask: how much pressure is Europe's growing appetite for air-conditioning putting on electricity grids? Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Gideon Long (Picture: People cool off in the Trocadero Fountain by the Eiffel Tower in Paris during a heatwave in June 2026. Credit: YOAN VALAT/EPA/Shutterstock)