Will next summer’s heatwave be more bearable if there’s air con everywhere? Or will it tip the grid over the edge? According to new analysis, cooling is set to account for 13% of global electricity demand by 2035.
The analysis by DNV (independent risk management provider) states that the demand is from rising incomes, expanding floor space and higher temperatures – as temperatures hit 38.2C in the UK (highest on record) and the global surface temperature in August 2026 was 1.32C above the 20th-century average.
DNV say that by 2035, cooling demand will be twice the electricity demand associated with either electric vehicle charging or artificial intelligence data centres.
The Global Cooling Pledge, launched at COP28 in 2023, calls for cooling-related emissions to fall by at least 68% from 2022 levels by 2050 while expanding access to sustainable cooling. DNV’s research forecasts that CO₂ emissions from electricity used for space cooling will fall by only around 40% from 2022 levels towards mid-century.
With another COP coming up and with cooling high on the agenda, we’re likely to see an overtake in media from data centre electricity use to broader cooling (and the insufficient grid connections to support it).
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