Rising temperatures extend air conditioning use worldwide
Heat is already disrupting daily routines and the well-being of millions of people, while electricity costs limit access to cooling even among households that have air conditioning.
Rising temperatures are extending the use of air conditioning to more months of the year and for longer periods. The second edition of Daikin’s Global Air Survey found that 84.1% of respondents have extended the period during which they use air conditioning over the past five years.
The survey, conducted among 1,200 air conditioning owners in 12 cities, also found that 86.5% perceive their local area as having become hotter compared with five years ago.
The results cover cities in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, and show changes in perceptions of the climate, daily routines, well-being and air conditioning habits.
A warmer world is changing daily routines.
The perception of a warmer planet coincides with the global climate trend. According to data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2024 was the hottest year on record globally, while 2023 and 2025 ranked second and third, respectively.
Heat is also changing daily activities. Some 59.1% of participants said they had avoided going out during the day or engaging in outdoor activities because of the heat, while 40.7% said they have increased the amount of time they spend at home or indoors.
On the hottest days of the year, daily air conditioning use in homes averages more than 10 hours globally. The figure reaches:
14 hours and 12 minutes in Tokyo,
14 hours and 2 minutes in Houston, and
12 hours and 56 minutes in Dubai.
Heat also affects well-being.
Extreme heat is also reflected in physical discomfort. Some 89.9% of respondents said they had experienced some form of discomfort caused by heat.
The most frequent effects include:
declining sleep quality, at 58.3%;
fatigue or a feeling of heaviness, at 50.9%;
and headaches, at 36.1%.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 489,000 deaths associated with heat occur worldwide each year. These results highlight the importance of adequately conditioned indoor environments to protect people’s health, rest and productivity.
Access to cooling faces constraints.
Although the need for air conditioning is increasing, access to cooling remains limited. The International Energy Agency (IEA) states that only 15% of people living in regions with hot climates have an air conditioning system.
Even among households that have a system, 64.4% said they are sometimes unable to use the desired level of cooling because of electricity costs or restrictions on the energy grid.
In turn, 89.7% said they would increase their use of air conditioning for health or comfort reasons if electricity costs or energy supply were not a constraint.
These results show that air conditioning is taking on an important role in helping cities adapt to higher temperatures. According to the company’s position, the challenge is to respond to a greater need for cooling efficiently and sustainably, reducing both energy consumption and environmental impact.
In this regard, the company states:
”These results show that air conditioning is taking on an increasingly important role in helping cities adapt to higher temperatures. The challenge is not only to respond to a greater need for cooling, but to do so efficiently and sustainably, reducing both energy consumption and environmental impact. For Daikin, this scenario reinforces our commitment to continuing to develop technologies that enable progress in this direction.”
Overall, the survey shows an extension in air conditioning use in response to higher temperatures, while electricity costs and restrictions on energy supply affect how much households can use it.
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