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AirCon- do we really need it?

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tanith Wed 15-May-19 07:47:59

I do use mine if it’s hot and I’m in a lot of traffic which is often as I live in London the fumes can be awful. Windows open instead if I’m on an open road without much traffic.

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M0nica Wed 15-May-19 07:43:47

A car can be a bit like a conservatory without blinds. Even if it is quite cool outside, if the sun is shining, the interior of the car can get very overheated. In this past week when there has been sunlight and a cold wind, we have at least once opened the car door and been greeted by a gust of hot air.

We certainly do not have the aircon on all the time. It is usually put on for a short period to bring the interior temperature down and then turned off.

Does anyone automatically turn the aircon on when they get into the car and keep it on for the whole duration of the journey?

Aircon is just the opposite of heating the car in cold weather or having some means of listening to music or text in the car. Not entirely necessary but can make a journey much more enjoyable, and probably safer because we are driving in comfortable conditions.

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kittylester Wed 15-May-19 07:42:44

I heard an expert on the radio say that more fuel is consumed by opening the windows than switching on the aircon.

I wonder whether aircon uses more than the heater which we gladly use?confused

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MawBroonsback Wed 15-May-19 07:27:13

Do you use it as a matter of course/regularly/occasionally in your car?
Somebody on another thread has said how “horrendous” the school run journeys are this week as her AirCon in her car is not working, and this got me thinking.
Yes, it is invaluable for long drives through France going on family summer holidays. Jolly welcome too last summer when we had wall to wall heatwave.
But a) is it environmentally friendly, (given that I certainly have noticed increased petrol consumption when it is on?)
And b) in our “normal” U.K. climate - do we need it and can we justify it?
My last little car but one - a Polo- didn’t have it, so I did that other thing of opening the windows front and back. Not ideal, but I coped and frankly about 80% of the time that was enough.
(Added to which, I personally find my sinuses start playing up and my eyes feel dry when the A/C is on for any length of time).
So if we are looking at fuel economy and effects on the environment, should we not also reconsider whether we are becoming accustomed to something which may be hard to justify?

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