When You Should Use Your Air Conditioner

 
It’s now the dog days of summer which means everybody is looking for ways to stay cool, particularly while driving. There has long been a debate between which is more fuel efficient; driving with the windows down, or driving with the air conditioning on? The answer actually depends on what kind of driving you are doing.
 
Whether you should turn on your air conditioner or not actually depends on the speed you are driving. If you are running errands close by and aren’t going more than 50 km/h, you will actually use less gas if you roll down the windows.
 
When you drive faster, the drag on your vehicle increases exponentially which is why it’s much more fuel efficient to roll up the windows when you’re driving on a highway. If your commute is far away or you’re planning a big road trip, make sure to use the air conditioning to keep you cool.
 
If your trip involves highway driving and in-town driving, the most fuel efficient approach is to switch back and forth between air conditioning and having your windows down depending on the speed of which you are traveling.
 
Patrick Britton