Friday, July 6, 2012Good morning,
It's the dead of summer, and you're driving on the highway. With gas prices still around $4 per gallon, however, you choose not to run the air conditioning because of the strain it will place on your gas tank.
Driving with the windows open will help you conserve gas. Or will it? Scroll down to find out more.
Thanks for reading,
Your Living Green editor
Email the Editor**** During highway driving running the AC doesn't make much of a difference. There would be no savings from turning off the air conditioning because opening the windows would create drag, reducing the car's normal gas mileage.
* Consumer Reports tested the theory while driving a Toyota Camry at 65 miles per hour, and found that choosing air or windows didn't make a justifiable difference.
* That's not to say that air conditioning is always the best option. The Department of Energy's website suggests that turning off the air conditioner may improve fuel economy when driving at speeds under 40 mph.