dlb92 Posted September 27, 2015 at 10:19 PM Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 at 10:19 PM I keep wondering why my range has decreased so much and it has been extremely hot here in Florida. Today I realized I may have not been using the AC the best way. I realized there is a way to make sure your air conditioner uses less than ~500 watts but it requires active attention. I wish they had an "efficient AC" button that always cooled but did not allow the system to use more than the minimum level of electricity. The other annoying thing is if its 75 degrees outside and you leave your thermostat on 74 or 75 the heater will turn on to maintain that temperature which is extremely inefficient. I find you need to maintain 3-6 degrees below the outside temperature in order to use the lowest amount of electricity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted September 27, 2015 at 10:23 PM Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 at 10:23 PM The trick I found? Use recirculate every time you use air conditioning. That way, the car isn't constantly cooling outside air to keep the cabin comfortable - it cools the already cool air in the cabin. It also very much helps in the rejection of outside odors from other vehicles. Most of the time, once the car catches up to the temperature I want, the AC sits around 500 watts and doesn't move. This works for the heater too, BUT, the heater doesn't dehumidify like the AC does, so your windows will fog up in a big hurry. lonzo71 and dlb92 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlb92 Posted September 27, 2015 at 10:35 PM Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 at 10:35 PM Yes I almost forgot, if you don't use recirculate you waste a massive amount of energy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FusionNAZ Posted October 16, 2015 at 04:42 AM Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 at 04:42 AM The trick I found? Use recirculate every time you use air conditioning. That way, the car isn't constantly cooling outside air to keep the cabin comfortable - it cools the already cool air in the cabin. It also very much helps in the rejection of outside odors from other vehicles. Most of the time, once the car catches up to the temperature I want, the AC sits around 500 watts and doesn't move. This works for the heater too, BUT, the heater doesn't dehumidify like the AC does, so your windows will fog up in a big hurry. Thanks for the post on the AC! I live in the desert and I will give that a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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