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Fan Speed Energy Usage

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by markabele, Nov 1, 2012.

  1. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    Going through the first winter with a Prius and only recently turning on the heat for the first time I noticed something the other day...

    One of my gauges that I always use on my Torque app is AC watts consumption. Now I'm assuming that this also figures in the "cost" to power the fan as well, someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong. This may be a reach but I'm basing that assumption on the fact that there is no electric heater, only a fan pulling heat off of the engine.

    So with heat on a moderate amount and fan speed at middle/hi settings I'm still only seeing it pull about 150 watts. This is compared with times that I am running the AC at medium/hi levels and will see it pull well over 1000 watts, sometimes even 1500+.

    This all leads me to believe that during hot summer weather I should be using fan speed to help with comfort instead of relying solely on AUTO. For example, I believe (won't be able to test til next summer) that running the AC at 78 with the fan set on 4 should draw a fair amount less power than it set on 75 with the fan set on 1.

    This is a lot of assumptions and I admit to not being an expert in these things so please go easy with the criticisms. But I definitely would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
     
    #1 markabele, Nov 1, 2012
  2. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    You're over thinking things. Stand back a little. You just said using AC uses up more energy than using heat. I'm sure you already know that to be true of all cars, houses, etc.

    Then you said running AC at 78 uses less energy than running AC at 75. That's another, yes. True of all cars, houses, refrigerators, etc.

    Finally, you should trust that Toyota engineers know what they are doing when they designed the vehicle. Have you noticed, just about all hybrids have auto climate control as standard equipment? The engineers designed it so that they can keep you comfortable using the least amount of energy.
     
    #2 mmmodem, Nov 1, 2012
    car78412 likes this.
  3. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    True, But it should be noted that while it may use less energy, it may not mean that it uses less power (when it is on). Looking at the Torque wattage meter is telling Mark about power, not energy. And Mark probably cares about energy.
     
    #3 Corwyn, Nov 1, 2012
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