23 of 25
BACKNEXT
23. Wheels: Driving with the AC on
Wheels: Driving with the AC on
Myth: Car air conditioning wastes energy.

Reality: Don't sweat it.

Want to save gas and stay cool in the summer? Shut off the AC and roll down the windows. Right? That may save energy in city traffic. According to Consumer Reports, running the AC will decrease performance by two to four miles per gallon.

But what effect will air resistance have at highway speeds? Consumer Reports tested a Toyota Camry at 65 mph and found that AC use burned only slightly more energy than with windows open. Its advice: "Do what makes you comfortable." -- E.F.

NEXT: Wheels: How green are hybrids?
Last updated March 26 2010: 6:04 PM ET
Email | Print | Share  |  RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
More Galleries
10 of America's hardest working vehicles
10 of America's hardest working vehicles
These cars and trucks double as cabs, cargo vans, and everything in between. More
7 craft sodas? Or 7 Big Beverage vassals?
7 craft sodas? Or 7 Big Beverage vassals?
We love our weirdo regional sodas. While they may have local roots, many have joined beverage empires. More
The 10 highest earning U.S. athletes
The 10 highest earning U.S. athletes
This year, the Sports Illustrated Fortunate 50 list is a joint effort with Fortune. The 10th annual list is headlined by a boxer, but dominated by baseball players, who take up half of the spots. Here are the top 10. More
Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2013 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2013 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.
© 2013 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy. Ad choices .