Air Conditioner Gas Consumption Myths

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1.     It has been a long-standing belief among drivers that using your automobile air conditioner while driving consumes more gasoline than rolling your windows down. Studies have demonstrated that this is true, but only in some circumstances. However, it can also be more fuel-efficient to use the air conditioner and leave the windows up.The Role of Drag

o    Questions about the effect of air conditioning on gas consumption arise because of the role of drag. Drag is the resistance of an object as it moves through air or water. As the car moves along the road, the friction of the air on the car causes the car to slow. A car with the windows open is less aerodynamic; the air does not flow over the car as smoothly as with all the windows up. This causes an increase in drag and slows the car down. To make up for this slowing, you need to use slightly more fuel to maintain the same speed.

The Role of Air Conditioning

o    Running the air conditioner reduces your car's fuel efficiency because it takes a good deal of energy to run the air conditioner. This energy is diverted from running the car, with the result that keeping the car at the same speed requires slightly more gasoline when the air conditioner is running. A 2005 test by Consumer Reports found that using your air conditioner can reduce your fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent.
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The Effect of Speed

o    Whether running the air conditioner is more or less fuel-efficient than rolling the windows down depends a good deal on the speed at which you are driving. The loss of fuel efficiency from the air conditioner remains constant at all speeds, but the effect of drag increases at higher speeds. For example, at speeds of 40 miles mph or lower, the effect of drag is minimal, so you will generally use more fuel running the air conditioner than rolling the windows down. However, at highway speeds -- speeds above 45 mph -- the effect of drag increases and it might be more fuel efficient to roll the windows up and use the air conditioner. According to Jason Toews, co-founder of GasBuddy.com, driving with the windows down at speeds over 55 mph can decrease you fuel economy by up to 20 percent.

Other Factors

o    Several other factors can affect the role of air conditioning and drag on your car's speed. One is the temperature. In hot climates, you might be more likely to turn the air conditioning up to “high.” This will use more fuel than running the air conditioner on a lower setting. If you have a roof rack or bicycle rack on your car, this will increase drag, making the effect of rolling your windows down less pronounced. The type of car you drive can also have an effect. Some cars have higher aerodynamic drag.

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