Want to save gas? Use seat heaters instead of air conditioning

What is most interesting is how high-tech gadgetry compares with conventional fuel economy techniques. Thanks to some nifty “efficiency program” software buried in my Audi’s tripmeter, I was able to determine how much fuel I was using with the air conditioning, seat heaters and even seat ventilators. For instance, I know the A6’s driver’s seat warmer, set to its highest position, consumes less than 0.1 litres of gasoline per hour (no, not L/100 km), a pittance. Calling for max heat from the air-conditioning system will suck back a more serious 0.5 L/hr (maximum cooling, to my surprise, consumes a little less). Factor those numbers and max heat from your vents on a cold morning might reduce fuel economy by eight per cent. Forgo the ventilation system and just heat up the seats and the steering wheel and you’ll be wasting less than two per cent.