MASON, Mich — As extreme heat moves across mid-Michigan, drivers are turning to their air conditioning — and that comes with a cost at the pump.
WATCH BELOW: Running your car's AC in traffic could cost you more at the pump
Robert Dowding, a realtor who frequently travels across the state, drives a pickup truck with a 35-gallon tank. He said the heat is already triggering his vehicle's automatic AC system.
"The truck detects the temperature outside and I get in it and the AC is already on," Dowding said.
Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, said air conditioning can reduce fuel efficiency — but the impact depends on driving conditions.
"If you're idle, if you're sitting in traffic, moving at a crawl, that's when using AC may put more work on your engine and could slightly reduce your fuel efficiency," De Haan said.
De Haan said gas prices remain 77 cents higher than a year ago, meaning incremental fuel use adds up.
De Haan said drivers on the highway have less to worry about.
"If you're driving 65 to 70 miles per hour, generally using AC isn't going to have any impact at all. Your car is already moving at a pace — it's not any extra work on your engine," De Haan said.
Dowding said he tries rolling down the windows when possible, but acknowledged it is not always an option.
"Try to eliminate it as much as we can but sometimes it's unavoidable when it gets super-hot," Dowding said.
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