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Heating - air con vs fan
- Thread starter grey shark
- Start date
I recommend running the A/C whether you have the new octovalve/heatpump setup or the earlier cars. Consumption is not significant enough to be thinking about even in my earlier model but it makes a real difference to the amount of moisture in your car during the wet months (all year in most of the UK!). The reduction in moisture reduces the likelihood of pillar camera misting as well as totally avoiding window misting generally.
And perhaps avoiding the deadly foot smell our American friends complain of. I suspect they run recirculated air and build up nasty stuff in their air filters.
MrBadger
Badger out
Air con compressor seems pretty good on the car all things considered. Higher fan speeds and heater, at least on non heat pump cars, are an absolute killer. We avoid auto setting - it likes running fan faster than we find it needs to be.
For us, a family of 3 on a cold, damp day, manual 18/19, A/C and fan 1 or 2 seems to keep things clear and comfortable (even without preheat) without significant energy drain - still not great compared to summer though. Seat heaters for a quick boost. If its chilly, I don't take my coat off that I would normally do for a longer journey.
For us, a family of 3 on a cold, damp day, manual 18/19, A/C and fan 1 or 2 seems to keep things clear and comfortable (even without preheat) without significant energy drain - still not great compared to summer though. Seat heaters for a quick boost. If its chilly, I don't take my coat off that I would normally do for a longer journey.
I use seat heaters all the time - in exchange for a slightly lower temp setting and so lower energy consumption overall (given seat heaters are much lower power than the main heater). Probably still true even on heatpump-equipped models.
Have you tried running various heating modes while plugged in to charge (but not actually charging)? The current/voltage on the charging display then gives you the consumption - still rather coarse, but probably better than trying to read the graphs.
However, even with perfect measurements it's not going to tell you the whole story, as you don't know what the duty cycle will be (maybe one uses more power but needs to run for a shorter time, or one makes you feel warmer).
Trying to measure it on a journey is also tricky as variations from other sources are probably bigger than the entire heating cost.
I suppose in the current no-travel climate you could try spending afternoons in your driveway on different settings and see which gives you a warm cabin for the least energy.....
Gatsojon
Member
I think I'd only worry about this if range was going to be an issue. Not from the energy use perspective really. I probably should from an environmental consideration as any wasted energy is waste, but I probably won't.
Interesting thread though. It seems the octovalve is an impressive piece of engineering.
Interesting thread though. It seems the octovalve is an impressive piece of engineering.
Anfieldgaz
Member
OK maybe a very very silly question. But what exactly is the difference between A/C heating and heating "normally" with just the fan?
The AC compressor runs, so you get drying and heating. It's generally good practise to run the AC because it circulates the refrigerant around the system and stops seals from perishing.
HenryT
Active Member
Heating with/without the A/C switched on, I would assume.
(Or, as Adopado and others have said, with or without the windows steamed up)
Anfieldgaz
Member
tardis56
Member
Must admit I tend to run mine with A/C off but reading this I might run it more just to keep the pump working.
ACarneiro
Active Member
That’s odd. On my Model 3, if you leave Climate Control in “Auto”, the aircon defaults to On
Jason71
Well-Known Member
No I don't believe that is the case. The cars were designed for California. AC default to off would be pretty pointless and annoying.
If you put it on Auto it turns AC on or off as required
Andrew_SE23
Member
Also, running with AC on helps stops camera misting, which you will see a lot of people complain about.
The point about running the AC to keep the system lubricated might have been a thing a decade before Tesla was conceived but isn't a thing today and hasn't been for along time.
The AC is part of battery cooling and I am sure the car does periodic readiness checks at startup.
I think some of you are confusing "AC on" which indicates it is available should the HVAC determine it is worthwhile to run with it actually being on.
The possibility of of mold smell in the AC has been a thing as long as cars have had AC, is the evaporator coil being left wet from condensation. Some cars seem to allow it to dry better, micht just be how leaky or tightly sealed the car is determines if it dries quick enough to avoid mold, combined with climate and use patterns.
The AC is part of battery cooling and I am sure the car does periodic readiness checks at startup.
I think some of you are confusing "AC on" which indicates it is available should the HVAC determine it is worthwhile to run with it actually being on.
The possibility of of mold smell in the AC has been a thing as long as cars have had AC, is the evaporator coil being left wet from condensation. Some cars seem to allow it to dry better, micht just be how leaky or tightly sealed the car is determines if it dries quick enough to avoid mold, combined with climate and use patterns.
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