Europe's recent heat wave has been brutal. In France alone, around 1,000 people reportedly died from heat-related causes over just three days.
But here's the surprising part: only about 20% of European homes have air conditioning. In the UK, that number is around 5%, and in Germany, it's just 3%. For comparison, even India has an AC penetration rate of roughly 10%.
Why is it so low?
Many European homes are over a century old, and drilling into exterior walls is often prohibited. Renting is also much more common, meaning landlords rarely want tenants making permanent modifications. On top of that, installing a traditional air conditioner can easily cost more than €1,000. Add concerns about noise, environmental impact, and high electricity prices, and it's easy to see why air conditioning has never become standard.
For years, the European approach to summer was simple: endure it. Temperatures typically stayed around 25°C, so a fan—or even a quick swim in a nearby river—was enough.
This year changed everything.
As temperatures climbed to record highs, consumers rushed to buy air conditioners. In France, installing a traditional split AC often requires approval from everyone in the building. Rather than dealing with the paperwork, many people turned to portable alternatives instead.
That created one of this summer's most interesting consumer trends: Chinese air conditioner brands experienced explosive demand across Europe. Among them, one product stood out—Midea's PortaSplit.
Unlike a standard portable AC, PortaSplit was specifically designed for the European market. Its product design quickly became part of the conversation online, with many people joking that it had been engineered to perfectly navigate Europe's complicated regulations.
For example, French regulations require certified inspection when refrigerant exceeds 2 kilograms. PortaSplit comes in at 1.99 kilograms—just below the threshold.
Germany limits nighttime noise to 35 decibels, and PortaSplit's Quiet Mode delivers exactly that.
Italy can impose fines of up to €100,000 for unauthorized air conditioner installations, but PortaSplit simply plugs into a power outlet. Most users can install it themselves in about ten minutes, and because it isn't permanently mounted, they can easily take it with them when they move.
In other words, it was built around the real constraints European consumers face.
Search "PortaSplit" on X, and you'll find countless Europeans proudly posting photos after finally getting one. TikTok and YouTube are filled with unboxing videos, product reviews, installation tutorials, and user experiences. The online conversation has been enormous.
Demand quickly outpaced supply.
One Austrian consumer, Denis Yurchak, reportedly deployed three AI agents to monitor inventory across the European Union around the clock. When one finally became available, he drove more than 200 kilometers into Hungary to buy it.
Not everyone had AI tools available. A software developer in Cologne, Germany, couldn't find one either, so he built a real-time inventory tracking website instead. Within a week, it had spread across social media, and he later introduced a €2.49-per-month stock notification service.
Meanwhile, second-hand prices surged from around €700–800 to as high as €2,000—and in some cases even €5,000—while many buyers still couldn't find one.
But perhaps the most important lesson isn't the viral demand.
PortaSplit wasn't simply an existing product exported to Europe. Midea's local European team identified a growing problem: hotter summers, older buildings that couldn't accommodate traditional installations, and portable air conditioners that were often as loud as tractors.
They brought those insights back to the company's engineering teams in China and worked alongside Italian designers for three years to develop a solution. The installation bracket alone reportedly went through more than 100 iterations, while multiple window-mounting options were created to fit the wide variety of European window designs.
The product has received strong recognition. German technology publication home&smart awarded it 95 points and named it the Best Portable Air Conditioner of 2026. It also appeared on TIME's Best Inventions of 2025 list.
Midea isn't the only brand benefiting from this trend. Haier, Hisense, Gree, and TCL have also seen significant growth across Europe as demand for cooling solutions continues to rise.
For brands looking to expand internationally, there's another lesson beyond product design.
A great product alone isn't enough.
PortaSplit's momentum was amplified by authentic conversations across X, TikTok, and YouTube. KOLs and everyday users alike shared reviews, installation videos, memes, and personal experiences. That kind of genuine word-of-mouth proved far more powerful than traditional advertising.
If you're planning to grow your brand globally, don't just think about building a better product.
Think about how to build something people