System and methods are provided for improving fuel economy, and providing optimized operating conditions associated with a vehicle's air-conditioning system when the vehicle is carrying a load, e.g., towing a trailer. Operating conditions including, for example, air-mix setting, coolant temperature, ambient temperature, vehicle speed, and whether or not the vehicle is carrying the aforementioned load, may be considered when determining whether or not to activate or deactivate a vehicle heating element, such as a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater, steering wheel heater, etc.