HOT summer temperatures and a cost-of-living crisis are an expensive combination, as drivers have little option but to turn up their car’s air-con and unfortunately use up more fuel.
But motorists have been left amazed at a simple trick that you can do when driving on a hot day to lower the temperature of the cabin and help the air-con system out.
GettyBefore you turn on your air-con, this trick will help you save money[/caption]
Once you switch your on your car’s air conditioning system, it can increase fuel use by up to 10% as the engine has to work harder to power the compressor.
And, on hotter days, it has to work even harder for longer to bring the cabin down to a temperature that you’re happy with.
So the best advice if your car has been sitting in the sun for some time, is to open all the windows immediately and leave them open for the first few minutes of your drive.
Do this before you stick the air-con on, as it’ll be the quickest way to get the air moving inside and lower the temperature.
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After a few minutes, pop them back up and stick the air-con on if necessary. It won’t have to work as hard or as long as if you’d kept the windows up.
In turn, because your engine isn’t having to work as hard to power the compressor, you’ll be saving fuel – important during the current fuel price crisis.
The RAC also has these tips for cooling your car quickly.
Fan the interior
‘Open both the windows on one side of the car, then ‘fan’ the interior by swinging a door on the opposite side back and forth.
‘Providing you’re not worried about potentially looking a bit weird, repeat this open-close motion at least three times to help expel the hot air.’
Use the lower air vents
‘Heat rises, so it makes sense to blast the cooler, air-conditioned air into the footwells, forcing the hot air already inside the car upwards and out of the open windows.
‘Shut off the upper vents on the dashboard and at the base of the windscreen so that the full flow of air into the car is directed upwards. ‘