This or That: Rolling the windows down or running the A/C?
Summer's coming, roll the windows down or run the A/C?
This isn't the first time we've addressed this issue, but with hot summer days just around the corner and gas prices skyrocketing higher than ever looking at the most efficient way to keep cool while driving seemed like a good idea. Truth is that rolling the windows down is not always more energy and gas efficient than running the air conditioning, although it can be sometimes. On the highway or interstate opening the windows creates drag on the car and the engine has to work harder to maintain speed, which ends up using more energy than using the A/C. However, if you're just driving around town and aren't going very fast it's probably slightly more efficient to turn the A/C off and roll the windows down. Whatever you do, though, just don't do both at once (I've seen people doing it!).
This isn't the first time we've addressed this issue, but with hot summer days just around the corner and gas prices skyrocketing higher than ever looking at the most efficient way to keep cool while driving seemed like a good idea. Truth is that rolling the windows down is not always more energy and gas efficient than running the air conditioning, although it can be sometimes. On the highway or interstate opening the windows creates drag on the car and the engine has to work harder to maintain speed, which ends up using more energy than using the A/C. However, if you're just driving around town and aren't going very fast it's probably slightly more efficient to turn the A/C off and roll the windows down. Whatever you do, though, just don't do both at once (I've seen people doing it!).
The race for the world's first "green" island
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_thumbnail.jpg "Green superheroes")
