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Am I right in assuming that having your air con set on 'recirc', you are only cooling the (already cool) air circulating in the passenger compartment. Whereas if it is set on 'fresh air' (outside air) you are having to cool the hot (summer) air coming in from outside. Have I got this completely wrong or am I helping the planet (and my fuel bill) having it on set on recirc?
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On a summers day full blast! The whole CO2 thing is a con in my opinion.
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Your assumption that recirc might make a marginal difference to CO2 output is correct. However, do you wish to recirculate the whiff of armpits, other pits, curries and whatever babies keep in their undergarments? Not for me thanks! Cool fresh air is my requirement.
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Thing I like about this forum is you never know where you may go next.
If air conditioning can have a beneficial effect on the outside traffic-fugged air it drags in, surely it's got a fighting chance against even your nightmare passengers, AS?
On a really hot day you don't want to keep having to cool hot outside air, if you can re-circulate already cool (and hopefully fragrant) inside air.
No?
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On a really hot day I recirc for about 5 minutes to get the air in the car cood then bring fresh air in. The way I look at it is Im doing my bit for global warming by cooling some air down :)
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Recirc. is only for short periods - you're re-breathing an increasing % of CO2 (from your own
physiological processes) & may become drowsy & less alert. Not recommended.
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My mum's Civic, when in auto mode, goes to recirc automatically for a while until the car has cooled down, then goes back to fresh air. I don't understand the logic though. If the car has been sitting in the sun, the temperature inside is initially likely to be hotter than the ambient temperature so it would make sense to bring in as much outside air as possible, though you can help by opening the windows.
I can then see there could be a second phase where recirc would be of benefit, where the air circulating in the car is below ambient, yet there are still hot seats/plastics/etc that need to be cooled by the cabin air. Then, as is done now, it can go back to fresh air where as described the marginally less efficient cooling is more than offset by the benefits of expelling the stale air.
However, if you're really concerned about the CO2, the big difference can be made by switching the AC off and sweating it out!
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However if you're really concerned about the CO2 the big difference can be made by switching the AC off and sweating it out!
Have to be honest and say that I cannot see a difference in fuel consumption between aircon on or off. (2005 Mondeo TDCi). I suspect that modern compressors are far more efficient than older ones, and therefore the effect on fuel consumption (and CO2 production) is negligible.
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The last two tanks of fuel in the Volvo have seen heavy air-con use, and it's still returning the same economy as before. On my previous Mondeo though (mk2 TD) it made a considerable difference.
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There was no noticeable consumption difference in the last 4 airconned cars I have owned.
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Opening the windows increases the drag, and usually results in much higher fuel consumption than turning on the air con (as well as being very noisy at speed, of course).
After having a few cars with aircon, it's become a must have for me. Excellent for demisting in the winter, too.
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Have to be honest and say that I cannot see a difference in fuel consumption between aircon on or off. (2005 Mondeo TDCi). I suspect that modern compressors are far more efficient than older ones and therefore the effect on fuel consumption (and CO2 production) is negligible.
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I have a 2005 Mondeo TDCi, with EATC (climate control) and get the same result. I reckon the ecu has some input during the process as well, mine seems to actually run smoother when AC is on.
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Best solution is set air con on fresh air, turn temp to min. and open all windows. That should cool the planet best.
BIG
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I recall reading somewhere a few years ago that the drag on earlier "mass market" air-con systems was like the car pulling a small parachute behind it....?
Why so much angst about it anyway? It's supposed to be pleasant source of comfort for the car occupants that can be switched on/off as required, not a hand-wringing exercise in humilty and penny pinching. Simply leave it switched off or perhaps even take a hammer to the compressor if you really want to display martyrdom on behalf of the environmental cause.
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Set your air con to the best setting for your comfort and don't beat yourself up over CO2.
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