By Anthony Blair
Published Aug. 18, 2026, 5:15 p.m. ET
Around 85% of the excess deaths in Wallonia were among those aged 65 or over, with low-income seniors who lived alone particularly at risk, according to official statistics.
“It’s a country that is considered cold, culturally. People think more about heating their house than cooling their house,” Gilles Vanvolsem, managing director of the Belgian Green Building Council, told the Times.
The number of households with AC, which is lower than most other developed economies, drops to between 4-6% in France, Germany, and the UK, which have all seen blistering heatwaves this summer.
“The mentality on air conditioning has to change,” Belgian doctor Toon Ceyssens told the Times, adding that many of his patients were reluctant to install AC over fears it would make them sick, spread germs, and harm the environment.
Belgian officials continue to hesitate over introducing AC, warning it could overwhelm the power grid and heat up cities by pumping out hot air into the streets.
Authorities are instead looking at introducing more so-called cooling spaces and instituting policies to encourage housing renovation.