Burn more gas?

Question

Does using your car heater (not the AC) make your car burn more gas?

Answer 1

A minuscule amount, as running the fan puts a little more load on the alternator. Not enough to measure, probably.
Every accessory you turn on adds more load the alternator.

If you are using the "defrost" mode, the A/C compressor is engaged, which DOES hurt fuel mileage a little.

Answer 2

Some cars have what is called climate control which uses both engine heat and A/C to control the temperature of the air. Those cars would use about 5% more gasoline when using the heater. If the car does not have climate control, the only drag on the engine is a tiny drain of electricity from using the fan and you wouldn't notice it.

Answer 3

car heaters use the alternator, when u defrost you are useing the same thing as the ac which does burn gas. so yes it does burn a little but not enough to notice

Answer 4

Nope, you car heat is done by water from the engine circulating through a heater core and a fan blowing through it. so it uses no fuel to use it.

Answer 5

No, most heater core and blower motor are all electrical systems and do not require the a belt driven system. so they do not pull a heavier load on your engine like your A/C compressor does.

Answer 6

sometimes if the a/c activates and it does on some models during defrost mode.otherwise its just an electrical drain that the alternator should handle without requiring to work that hard.

Answer 7

If it's 20 below zero, and the engine warms up enough, you will not even think about fuel economy when you need that heat.

Answer 8

NO. except to a minor extent the fan, which you could turn off in most cars.

Answer 9

Maybe a little

Answer 10

yes, it uses a tiny bit