February 4, 2011
How much gasoline is used if I idle my car with the air-conditioning on vs. air-conditioning off?
I’m trying to prove my case that idling in the car pool line is BAD NEWS. I’ve found a lot of data supporting that every gallon of fuel that is burned produces about 20 pounds of CO2, and even some that says we use about You use about 0.026 gallons of gasoline for every 10 minutes of idiling, but no data that suggests how much gas is burned when the A/C is on – which is our problem here in Texas. Please help save our planet and our little children’s lungs and help me answer this question!
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Filed under Gas Conservation FAQ by on Feb 4th, 2011. Comment. 
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Comments on How much gasoline is used if I idle my car with the air-conditioning on vs. air-conditioning off?
For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile.
Excessive idling can actually damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs, and exhaust systems. Fuel is only partially combusted when idling because an engine does not operate at its peak temperature. This leads to the build up of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.
i dont know how much more gas is used for sure but if you run your ac at idle v.s. not running it at idle you will use more gas because your ac compressor puts strain on your engine, bumping up the rpm’s
BUT
in big trucks like diesels using the ac has no effect on the high torque engine, there for not burnging any extra fuel
I estimate that it takes about 5 hp to run the AC. Five hp = 3.728 kw. That equates to 12,729 BTUs. One gallon of gasoline contains 115,000 BTUs. So, runnning the AC takes (115,000/12,729) or just under an additional 0.10 gal gasoline per hr or about 12 oz per hr. So, idling your car without AC takes about 19 oz gasoline per hour. With AC, it takes a total of 31 oz gasoline per hr (about 1 qt).
Of course it depends upon how many cylinders your engine has and if my estimate of 5 hp to run the AC compressor is accurate.
Very little. I’d be surprised if you noticed much difference. A/C does not use 5 hp. Idling does not hurt your car. It causes some wear, but a lot less than blasting down the highway. I drive all day and idle thousands of hours a year, with no ill effects.