Can turning on the AC in a car provide heating?
2 Answers
Turning on the AC in a car cannot provide heating because the AC button controls the air conditioning compressor, which is used for cooling in the summer. The heating function in a car utilizes the internal heat cycle of the vehicle and does not require the air conditioning compressor to be activated. Therefore, to use the heater, you only need to adjust the air blower settings without turning on the AC switch. The heat for the car's heater comes from the engine's operational heat: after the engine's cooling system dissipates heat from the engine, a fan directs this heat into the cabin to provide warmth. When the heater is not in use, the fan stops, and the heat vents close, allowing the dissipated heat to be released into the atmosphere. Thus, the car's heating system recycles waste heat and does not consume additional fuel.
I often drive my family out for fun. I remember the first time I turned on the AC in winter, pressing the AC button thinking it would warm me up, but the cold air that blew out made me shiver. Later, I got smarter and asked a car-savvy friend, who explained that the AC button controls cooling—it's like the switch for the air conditioning compressor, only responsible for absorbing heat to make the air cooler and doesn’t generate heat at all. The warm air in a car mainly comes from the heater, which uses the residual heat from the engine coolant—just turn the temperature knob to the red zone to enjoy it. If you set the temperature high while the AC is on, it can dehumidify, but the heating effect comes from other parts of the system, not the button itself. So the conclusion is clear: turning on the AC doesn’t provide heat—it’s purely a cooling function. For daily use, just adjust the temperature knob to solve the problem.
