What makes using a/c burn more fuel?

Question

What exactly is a motor doing differently that causes a car to use more fuel while running the a/c?

Answer 1

When you turn on the A/C it engages a compressor which requires alot of power to operate. This power is supplied from your car engine by way of a belt.The engine uses more gas to produce this power to operate the A/C. Hope this answers your question.

Answer 2

A long time ago when you turned your a/c on the compresser would kick in and you would get cool, but in the winter it was never used and your seals would dry out causing a leak, and your A/C unit didn't work. SO the auto company's designed a system to fix that problem, The a/c unit kicks on and off every 15 seconds even with your control off, winter and summer. That is for the unit to circulate refrigerant and to eliminate the leaks. That will keep the unit working properly. So as to burning more fuel that is the price you pay to keep cool. It also isn't as much as you would think. { check it out, with the engine running and the switch off just watch at the compresser }

Answer 3

the motor is running the a/c compressor. see, any refrigeration system works by compressing a refrigerant gas to make it release the heat it's taken on. the compression is then released to make the gas absorb more heat, which it transports out of the vehicle. this a/c compressor adds a load to the motor, thus the motor must use more fuel to handle the extra load.

Answer 4

The compressor on the engine for the AC requires power from the engine. Power requires more fuel.

Answer 5

it just has to work harder because its yet another task that its doing. thats how i see it. make the car do less and it will use less fuel.