5 Cool Tips for Driving Without The Air Conditioning

The next time you find yourself driving in hot weather, think twice before turning on the AC. Air conditioning can increase fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent since it uses engine power to drive the AC compressor which increases engine load.

1. Give your wallet and your vehicle’s fuel consumption a break by using your air conditioning sparingly this summer. Ask yourself if you really need to cool off that badly or if habit is driving you to put on the AC.

2. For city driving, open a window and enjoy the fresh air.

3. For highway driving, use your flow-through ventilation to cool off.

4. Should air conditioning be a luxury you simply do not want to give up, select the re-circulate option as opposed to the fresh-air alternative to help minimize the impact of air conditioning on fuel consumption.

More information is available on the Natural Resources Canada website, www.vehicles.nrcan.gc.ca.

www.newscanada.com