Fans, Malls and Frozen Corpses: How Thais Beat the Heat
How Thais keep cool.
In Thailand, keeping warm is not the problem — keeping cool is. Fans are found in every home, but air conditioners are a luxury most ordinary Thais do without. When they are installed, they tend to get switched on only in the bedrooms, and only during the hottest months.
William spends 7,000 baht a month on air conditioning. His units run 24 hours a day regardless of whether the rooms are occupied. His wife turns them off whenever he’s not home. It’s a pattern that illustrates a broader truth: constant use means you lose the ability to cope without it, and when the real heat arrives, the relief is barely noticeable.
On the hottest days, when sitting in the shade offers little comfort, many Thais and foreigners head to the shopping malls — not to buy anything, but simply to stand in the cool air for a while.
Buddhist temples keep fans running and air conditioners on during hot weather. At funerals, the area around the coffin is always kept cool. If the body has been donated for medical research, refrigeration is essential — the heat, left unchecked, does its work quickly.
Buying an Air Conditioner in Thailand
Sales staff are often not well-informed about the products they sell, so it’s worth doing your own research beforehand. Check that any price quoted includes installation, as this is not always the case.
https://furnacesreviews.com/thailand-air-conditioner-price-trends/
Fans whir in every home; air conditioning is another matter. For most ordinary Thais it remains a luxury, switched on sparingly and only where it matters most.
Those who run it constantly find, in time, that it stops helping — the body forgets how to cope, and the relief grows harder to notice.
William spends 7,000 baht a month on cool air; his wife turns the units off the moment he leaves.
On the hottest days, when shade offers little comfort, Thais and foreigners alike drift toward the shopping malls — not to buy anything, but simply to stand under the vents for a while.
Even the temples keep their fans running. Heat here is not a minor inconvenience. It is something everyone, in their own way, is always negotiating with.
