Eco-Friendly Friday Tips Volume Fifty

June 5th's Tip

A/C or Windows?: It's getting warm out for most of us, and that means our cars are getting warm, too. I know this all too well - my car has black interior! It's tempting to hop in and turn the a/c up as far as it will go sometimes, but the breeze from the open windows can feel nice, also. So when are you supposed to open the windows and when is it ok to use the air conditioning?

For most driving around town, use your windows. Driving 40mph and slower, it is more efficient to use your windows than your a/c. Once you are driving consistently at 40mph and higher (on the highway, for example), roll them up and switch to the a/c. Once you hit this speed, it is more efficient to use your air conditioning than to drive with your windows open. At higher speeds, having the windows open can cause drag, which reduces your efficiency and MPG.

Some numbers (source: CarJunky): When driving around the town, using your air conditioning rather than opening your windows can increase your fuel consumption up to 10%. On the flip side, keeping your windows down rather than turning your air on when going 45mph can also increase your fuel consumption by up to 10%, and at 55mph, that number can increase to 20%. This does depend on your car, but in general, when town driving, use the windows, and when highway (or higher speed) driving, use the a/c.

Contribute

We are looking for reader submitted tips for Eco-Friendly Friday so we can share some even we may have not heard before. If you've got a unique or informative tip and want to contribute to Eco-Friendly Friday, shoot us an email. Be sure to include your URL if you want a link to your site included with your tip!