Petrol and diesel owners can make major savings by pressing one button found on almost all vehicles. Drivers can save fuel and cut down on petrol and diesel consumption by pressing one switch located on the vehicle dashboard that most road users “ignore completely”.
Kazimieras Urbonas, Supplier Excellence Manager at Ovoko, stressed that taking advantage of the air recirculation switch was a vital step to cutting consumption and saving money. Kazimieras stressed that many don’t use the tool correctly, with most not taking advantage of the major benefits it can have. The air recirculation switch is usually found on the car dashboard, near the rest of the vehicle’s heater switches, making it easily accessible.
Those who use the tool will likely see a drop in fuel consumption, reducing the frequency that road users have to top up their vehicles.
Kazimieras explained: “There’s one button that virtually every car has, but most people either ignore it completely or use it wrong. It’s the air recirculation button – usually marked with a car symbol and a curved arrow – and when used properly, it can actually reduce your fuel consumption.
“When you press that button, you’re telling your air conditioning system to stop pulling in hot air from outside and instead recycle the air that’s already inside your car. This might sound like a small difference, but it’s actually huge for your engine. Think about it logically. The harder your compressor has to work, the more fuel your engine burns to power it. When you use recirculation, you’re making that work much easier.”
As well as saving fuel, using the recirculation button can also help stop pollution and pollen from entering the vehicle’s cabin.
The tool also helps keep a car’s air-filter cleaner for much longer than usual and reduces the strain on the air conditioning system. However, the window to take advantage of the tool may be closing with road users previously warned the tip should only really be used when the weather is warm or mild.
During cooler weather such as during the Autumn and Winter, the tool is likely to have fewer benefits and could even backfire. Using the system is likely to trap humidity inside the car which runs the risk of steaming up windows and the car windscreen.
The RAC said: “When the air conditioning is blowing cold, close all the windows and switch to (pre-cooled) recirculated air. You can now open the upper air vents and adjust the flow as required. More advanced ‘climate control’ air-conditioning systems allow you to set and maintain a constant temperature within the car.”