Do You Really Need an AC in Germany?

Ask anyone in Germany whether you need air conditioning and you’ll get the same answer: “Nein. It’s hot for maybe a week a year. Open a window at night, close the shutters in the morning, you’ll be fine.”

And honestly? They’re right. Most of the year, they’re right.

The gamble

I bought this AC, a Comfee portable unit, on Amazon about a month before the heatwave hit. In hindsight that was either great planning or pure luck. At the time it felt a bit ridiculous. It’s Germany. Nobody has AC at home. The unit sat there in its box while the weather stayed politely mild, quietly asking me why I’d spent the money.

Then came 38°C

German apartments are built to hold heat. Great in January, brutal in July. Once a heatwave settles in, there’s no escaping it: the walls warm up, the nights stop cooling down, and a fan just pushes the same hot air in circles.

That’s when the Anlage earned back every single penny. While everyone else was debating window-shutter strategy and draping wet towels over fans, my room was cool. When it’s 38°C outside, having AC genuinely makes you feel like the luckiest person in Germany.

But how loud is it?

The fair question everyone asks about portable ACs. Instead of quoting the decibel number from the box, I recorded an actual noise test. Watch it below and judge for yourself.

Verdict

Do you need AC in Germany? Probably not. The heatwave really does only last a few days. But those few days are miserable enough that I’d buy it again without thinking. Worth every penny.