The Cramper (my converted Chevy HHR camper) does not have any external air conditioning. Last year, without the awning that gets wrapped over the roof upon mounting, the summer's sun here in Ohio beat down on the Chevy's hull and caused it's temperature to rise to more than 130°F. That in turn caused interior temperature to be more than 90°F. I started to get to bed early because there were times that would not be able to sleep past 1000hrs.
But this year, I added a screen to the left rear window, which brings me up to a total of two. Also, I added a plastic luggage carrier and I use the awning more. Those two tend to deflect the effects of the sun quite a bit to the point that my greenhouse effect is no longer a concern. But one of the windows has to be up when I expect rain because the awning doesn't cover over it.
Additionally, I have a small AC fan.
As for the heat, I use a digital ceramic heater with a remote and sleep timer. The heating element is not exposed to air, so the manufacturer states that fires are either impossible from the heating element, or its resistant? And the remote's good for turning it on in the morning.
But my setup doesn't have enough insulation. And i designed it with the floor being the length of the ply, but the walls are the width of the tailgate door (which are wider). So, there are two triangular shaped holes that i just plug up with the outer shell tarp, but they bleed heat. Also, my floor is supported with 2x4's to support the system's 32" separation for transport mode. Well, there's a couple of channels down there that just lead straight outside with nothing to hinder it.
I just found out recently that i could install an AC to DC converter, Y branch it directly to the battery leads and supply external power to the car's internal system. If I knew how the heating system works, I might be able to install an electric heat alternative straight into the car's environmental system?
As it stands now, I have extention pipes that lead the exhaust away from the back of The Cramper. This is in case the ceramic heater isn't doing the job, I can turn on the car and get some of that expensive heat. The car idles on about 3.25 gallons of 87 octane gasoline over 8 hours. This is also used for air conditioning if the cabin gets too hot.
