Does using air conditioning actually affect gas?

The air conditioner is powered by the engine, causing the engine to use more fuel to create the extra power needed to run the air conditioner.

DEPENDS IF YOUR ON THE HIGHWAY OR IN THE CITY,, IN THE CITY YOUD BURN LESS GAS IF U LEFT AIR OFF AND ROLL WINDOW DOWN,, ON THE HIGHWAY THO THE EXTRA DRAG THAT HAVING A WINDOW DOWN WILL CAUSE YOU TO BURN MORE FUEL THEN HAVING THE AC ON,, BY DRAG I MEAN THAT THE CAR IS NOT EFFICENTLY TRAVELING THRU THE WIND,,

yes it will take alot of gasoline because there is more load to the engine, other words the engine need to do more work with the ac on

Reference the first law of thermodynamics which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. The energy to run your air conditioner needs to come from somewhere. It comes from your car’s engine, which runs on gasoline. Thus running your air conditioner uses some of your gas thus reducing your mpg.

Also in reference to you saying it seems weird to use gas to cool the car, it is indirectly being used to supply power to the condenser, fan, and other things that make up the ac.

google mythbusters…..they did at least 2 episodes on this very issue….

but basically to turn ac compressor and in a small part to produce electricity to run fan motor makes engine work harder thus burning more fuel…..not to mention it makes the engine run hotter thus making the engines cooling system work harder again using more fuel to turn water pump …..

Your AC compressor is belt driven off the engine. If the AC is on, everytime the compressor kicks in the engine compensates. It takes more power for the engine to power your car and AC compessor than just your car. The difference in fuel mileage depends on the specific vehicle but is usually not as great as some people make it out to be.

The compressor on the airconditioner runs off the engine and may require a couple of horsepower. It doesn’t run constantly, it cycles on and off as needed. Rolling down the windows on an aerodynamic modern car actually causes more drag than the power required by the airconditioner- unless you’re just sitting in the driveway idling the engine. Don’t swelter for a cupful of gasoline. If it isn’t too hot to use the AC, then don’t use it, but on a sunny day, the car will get hot. It’s less a waste to use the AC than to have the windwos open while speeding down the road. It was the other way around 45 years ago.

Either driving with the windows down or the AC on is going to cost a little more. Ride a bike if you want to save gas.

Ashley is right: running the AC creates an extra “load” on the engine via the compressor. For that matter running your headlights, wipers, electric windows, and radio also creates an extra load via the alternator.

Click and Clack (the Tappet Brothers) did a study on this. Rolling down the windows versus running the AC. Running the AC was more economical because at highway speeds the drag created by wind resistance was greater than the extra load of running the AC. In fact you probably waste more gas doing unnecessary trips, hauling extra weight, starting off fast and going above the posted speed limit.

Use your AC. You won’t notice the loss of mileage. Besides it feels good.

the guy don r is right on the money. i regularly drive from west coast to memphis and back. and your only talking about maybe 10 extra bucks in gas. thats 2,400 miles its with a new car as well and straight through highway speed.

It’s a myth..Think of this; with your windows down, it creates drag which sometimes uses more gas than using your ac, so enjoy your air conditioning!

air conditioning requires a compressor to pump the Freon when it’s in liquid (cold) phase. This takes a lot of work, and this work comes from your car’s engine. But if you have a relatively powerful engine, it’s not going to change your mileage that much. But yes, it will affect gas mileage enough to be measurable. However, rolling down your windows also hurts gas mileage, because it causes wind buffeting and wind resistance.

I would venture to say that driving at highway speeds with your windows down is almost as bad as running your AC, in terms of lowering your gas mileage. In the city, windows down would be better. But i wouldn’t think twice about running my AC, because it’s not that big of a factor.