Do you still remember how long the home appliances from ten years ago lasted? It is basic that the refrigerator lasts for fifteen years, and the air conditioner lasts for ten years without any problem. But now, things are different.
A recent report by the British BBC pointed out a surprising fact: the design standards of many household refrigerators remain at "32 degrees Celsius". This number may have been sufficient 20 or 30 years ago, but now the heat wave in the UK often exceeds 36 degrees, and the refrigerator compressor must run around the clock to barely maintain the low temperature, and eventually overheats and stops. Dr. Alan Foster, a Bristol refrigeration expert, said these appliances were "designed for a much cooler world."
The same scene is happening in Taiwan. In the summer of 2026, due to a malfunction of the air-conditioning system of the Banqiao Grand Park Plaza, the temperature inside the store soared to 34 degrees, and the waiter and customers collapsed from the heat. Extreme heat is no longer a “problem of the future”—it’s now in your living room, in the air-conditioning vents of your office, and in the hum of your refrigerator compressor.
How does high temperature kill your home appliances? Three major killers reveal
The impact of climate change on home appliances mainly comes from three aspects. The first is compressor overload. When the ambient temperature exceeds the design upper limit, the compressors of air conditioners and refrigerators must continue to operate at high intensity. Not only does power consumption increase dramatically, but the wear rate of parts also accelerates significantly. Studies have shown that without regular maintenance, the efficiency of air conditioners will decrease by about 5% every year. Followed by the soaring cost of refrigerant. The world is phasing out R-410A refrigerant with high warming potential and switching to environmentally friendly R-454B. But R-454B prices have skyrocketed from about $10 a pound to more than $70, and the price of new air conditioning systems has jumped 30 to 40 percent. The third is poor heat dissipation of the condenser. In a high-temperature environment, the heat dissipation efficiency of the outdoor unit decreases, and dust accumulation accelerates deterioration.
Taiwan’s special challenges: the double blow of high temperature + humidity
Compared to Europe and the United States, Taiwan’s home appliances face more severe challenges. In addition to record high temperatures in the summer, there are also months-long rainy and typhoon seasons. Humid weather can cause circuit boards to oxidize and short-circuit, and door seals to become moldy and ineffective. The salt spray in coastal areas will accelerate the corrosion of the metal shell of the outdoor unit.
The Taoyuan City Government has realized the seriousness of this problem. In June 2026, Taoyuan launched the nation's first "Cooling and Energy Saving Subsidy Program for High-Temperature Sensitive Groups", which provides subsidies for air-conditioning cleaning (a subsidy of NT$1,000 per unit), glass insulation film (up to NT$10,000 per room), and first-class energy-efficiency air conditioner replacement (up to NT$10,000 per unit) for families with children aged 0 to 6 or elders over 65 years old. This policy sends a clear signal: extreme climate is no longer an "environmental issue", but a "livelihood issue" that directly affects people's lives.
