Would you buy a car without air conditioning today? Apart from the oldest types that we can still see on the roads, we probably won’t even find such a car. Air conditioning is nice, but you have to pay for everything. How to do it so that you do not unnecessarily increase fuel consumption by operating it?
Several studies have been conducted on the topic of increasing fuel consumption when the air conditioning is on, the results of which differ slightly, but they all confirm what motorists have a legitimate concern about – indeed: the air-conditioned environment inside the car is not free. Depending on the driving speed, this can be an increase in consumption of an average of 2%, but in the worst cases, when the car is standing in a queue, up to a full 20%!
You can also learn about other options for saving gasoline in the YouTube video in the channel Did you know that…
Source: Youtube
Additional load for the engine
Why does air conditioning actually increase fuel consumption? This is another load that the machine has to cope with during operation. In very simple terms, in addition to the cylinders themselves, the air conditioning system must also move, a unit that very remotely (!) resembles the mechanism we know from a refrigerator.
More comfort, more fuel
The principle is in the circulation of the coolant through a system that leads it to the fan, through which the air passes into the interior of the car. Experts would certainly disagree with such an abbreviation, but it is certainly enough for a basic idea. In short, the point is that the system must have a drive, and this is provided thanks to the operation of the engine – and the engine needs fuel for its operation. The more elements it moves, the more it burns. That’s all.
The biggest problems in columns
Then it is also about the ratio of fuel consumed to move the car and the operation of the air conditioning unit. When driving, this value will still be relatively favorable, in a column when the engine is idling, we can get to a really big loss. The basic rules that will help us save money clearly follow from this. The first is: if it is at all possible, turn off the air conditioning when you stop for any reason – in a queue on the highway, while waiting for example at a store, when you leave the engine running, and so on. The savings will be considerable.
Simply open the window – but only sometimes
You may have gotten used to using windows to ventilate your car. But here they are still ready for their function. When driving at a slower pace on county roads, such natural air circulation will be a better choice. We just need to know how to do it. Opening a single window is not the right choice, because the resistance that the car has to overcome will increase disproportionately. This would not save us much. Therefore, it is better to open all the windows slightly so that the air can flow smoothly. This does not apply when driving fast, in which case the windows are closed and the air conditioning turned on at a reasonable level.
Don’t overdo it
What is a reasonable degree? If you do not want to lose an unnecessarily large amount of gasoline (and your health), do not cool the car interior to too low a temperature. The rule is that the difference between outside and inside temperature should not exceed five degrees Celsius. Even if you decide to make a bigger difference, it is always true that once you reach the desired temperature, it is better to turn down the air conditioning. The difference will be big. In addition, you can also save thanks to the foresight of parking in the shade in the summer months and not letting the car heat up to the maximum.
We will go further without air conditioning
It’s not complicated, all the mentioned principles are based on the basic laws of physics. With their help, we can travel up to a hundred kilometers on one full tank – and that’s already worth a little thought…
Sources: www.drive.com.au, www.motors-addict.com, stedmansgarage.co.uk
