July 7, 2026 –A brutal heatwave has blanketed wide swathes of Europe in recent days, triggering deadly heat-related incidents across the continent. Official local reports confirm that France alone has recorded a minimum of 40 fatalities linked to extreme heat since last weekend.
As residents scramble for effective cooling solutions amid record-high temperatures, air conditioners manufactured by Chinese brands have emerged as indispensable cooling gear for European households. Retail outlets across the region are facing severe stock shortages, with shoppers struggling to secure cooling units.
Zhou Yunjie, CEO of Haier Group, shared an official statement addressing the surging European cooling demand driven by unrelenting heat. The mayor of Paris’s 17th arrondissement has rushed to place bulk orders for Haier air conditioners to equip local schools. Markets including France and Spain have submitted emergency supplementary orders totaling over 100,000 air conditioning units, with shipments steadily arriving at regional distribution hubs.
Zhou accompanied his post with on-site visual materials capturing real market scenarios: local consumers purchasing Haier cooling equipment at Spanish retail stores and delivery fleets transporting Haier air conditioners throughout France. He added that images sent by frontline installation teams reassured him, knowing the brand’s appliances are shielding local families from oppressive temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.
Financial performance data underscores Haier’s robust momentum in Europe’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) sector. The firm’s overall HVAC revenue in Europe jumped nearly 20% in the first half of this year, while its proprietary residential air conditioner line saw a 24% year-over-year uptick, ranking Haier top among all Chinese HVAC operators on the European market. June brought even stronger results, with Haier’s air conditioner sales doubling simultaneously in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Zhou also emphasized that extreme heat represents only a temporary market driver, whereas energy efficiency and power consumption reduction remain permanent top priorities for European consumers. Sky-high energy costs continue to burden households across the region, creating a common dilemma: many families can afford to purchase air conditioners yet cannot bear the steep electricity bills that come with regular use.
To resolve this long-term pain point, Haier has rolled out an integrated household microgrid solution combining solar power generation and energy storage. Powered by AI-driven intelligent energy allocation technology, the system cuts household electricity expenses. Surplus renewable energy generated at home can also be fed back into public power grids to generate extra income. This comprehensive energy solution is now being rapidly deployed in multiple European nations such as the UK, Germany and Italy.
