Turning anything on in your car, other than the essentials, either increase the fuel consumption or decreases the battery life; however, with so many fancy gadgets in cars today, it is difficult not to want to switch them on.
We haven’t always had much use for air conditioning in the UK, but the current hot spell has seen more and more of us turning up the fans. If you have switched yours on, you may have noticed an increase in fuel consumption.
The AA provides some great tips and advice on how to cut back on your fuel consumption.
There has also been research that suggests it is more cost-effective to simply wind the windows down in our vehicle than switch on the air con; however, unless you have a convertible that is specifically designed to be driven with the roof down, this can be a dangerous and noisy – particularly if you are driving at speed.
If you would like to try out a convertible, companies such as Leicester car leasing business https://leasing.totalmotion.co.uk/ car leasing in Leicester have a great range to choose from.
How does air conditioning affect fuel consumption? This is not an exact science, but here are a few factors that will affect how much it costs you.
Engine Power and Size
In short, the more powerful the engine, the less fuel is consumed to run the air con system. A larger engine has a greater capacity to cope with continually driving the air con pump than a smaller engine. An engine that is already warmed up is also far more effective than one that is cold, which will also affect fuel consumption. Think about opening the doors and windows for a few minutes while your engine gets up to temperature before you switch on the air con.
Settings
This one is common sense. If you blast your air con on its most powerful and coldest settings, it is going to cost you more to run it.
Service History
As with most things, your air conditioning will perform at its best if it has been regularly serviced. Most manufacturers recommend that your car air con system has the gas and lubricant recharged every two years. An anti-bacterial clean at the same time will prevent any nasty smells emanating from your air con.