Air Conditioning Vs Climate Control — The Subtle Difference Explained

Ever wondered about the difference between an air conditioning system and climate control? Drivespark explains the subtle differences.

By Stephen

Published: Saturday, June 24, 2017, 12:50 [IST]

Air conditioning systems are now being provided as standard equipment on almost all cars sold in India right now, while Climate Control systems are now being standardised on almost all European and American cars. Wait, both Air Conditioning and Climate Control are the same right? Not Sure? We explain the subtle differences between them.

Air Conditioning:

An Air-Conditioning system's job is basically to cool down the interiors of the car. It uses cold air generated from a compressor to cool the ambient air inside the car. Other than just cooling the air down, it reduces the humidity in the air and also filters it.

All cars with air conditioning systems have either a dial or a slider style control panel to configure settings. These settings are typically to change temperature, blower speed, and the direction of the conditioned air. Of course, governing all this is a button which can turn the air conditioning on/off.

These settings are almost standardised across all cars equipped with an air-conditioning system, and have to be adjusted manually. So, let's say, sometimes the journey might start out to be hot and under the sun, so one would need the air conditioning to be on full blast, but if the temperature cools down a bit later, mixing in a little warmer air would be required.

The same principles apply to the location where the car is being drive. If it is at a hill station, the temperature would be cold, hence the warm air would be required, and vice versa if it is in a hot desert region. What this means is that, constant manual adjustment of the air conditioning would be required.

Climate Control:

Climate control uses the same basic working principles of air conditioning, but is a luxury in the Indian market. A climate control system also uses almost the same controls as a normal air conditioning system, except for one button - 'Auto' and a temperature setting.

The climate control system takes care of all adjustments that would otherwise have to be made manually by the driver or passenger in a normal air conditioning system. The only thing that has to be done by the drivers or passengers is, setting up a temperature that is comfortable for them. The climate control system then keeps the interiors of the car at same temperature, irrespective of the changes in temperature outside the car.

Climate control used to be real 'set and forget' stuff until a few years ago, when manufacturers started offering zonal climate control. With this, the front of the car can be at a different temperature than the rear and even the passenger on the left and on the right side, seated in the front and in the rear of the car can be in different temperature zones.

DriveSpark Thinks!

A climate control system is just the same as a standard air conditioning system, only just, more intelligent! Air conditioning is a necessity these days in India, while climate control is a luxury.