Al’s Energy Tips
- NEWEST TIP: Turning down the temperature of your hot water heater can save energy, but most lack a temperature scale to make the task easy. You can manage it, though by turning the dial on the heater’s thermostat down by a tiny bit (say, 1/8 of an inch) every day until the water coming out of the shower in the morning is about the temperature you like to shower in without having to mix in much cold water.
- Power Strips
Power strips make it easy to save energy. Plug in your home office computer, computer screens, fax, printer, and internet modem and then power them down completely when not in use. You will be pleased and amazed by the energy savings. Published: Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:58:46 MDT
- Check that Tire Pressure
Now is a good time to check the pressure in your car’s tires. Few of us bother to check the tire pressure variation through the year but doing so once a season and then filling the tires to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure can easily save 2 to 5 percent in fuel costs. Published: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:46:35 MDT
- Using your thermostat to maximum energy-saving effect
It is almost always most “energy saving” to turn the furnace off (or the thermostat way down) at night. The reason is simple: heat leaks out of your house (no matter how well insulated it is) to some extent and the higher the temperature in the house, the more heat (and, effectively, energy dollars) leak out. While you will start the morning out with your house cooler than it would have been if the furnace were on during the night (or the thermostat set higher), you will save energy by simply warming up the house in the morning when you need it. Published: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:11:59 MDT
- Slow Down
For most passenger cars, driving at 75 miles per hour rather than at 65 reduces fuel economy by around 10%, so a car that normally gets about 35 miles per gallon on the highway at 65 mph will get only about 32 miles per gallon at 75 mph. Published: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:55:26 MDT
- Ditch the rack if you can
Roof and luggage racks on cars and SUVs are enormous energy wasters, particularly at high speed because of the much increased friction they produce when the car is moving. If you need the roof rack for a trip or moving stuff, fine. Otherwise, take it off and you’ll reap big energy rewards. Published: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:26:32 MDT
Time to Start Thinking About Those Home Heating Leaks
With heating season around the corner, it’s time to starting looking for and repairing air leaks around windows and doors. Even small air gaps between your doors and the door frame (ditto for windows) can cost you $100 to – $150 in natural gas over the course of the winter.
User Higher Gear
If you have a manual transmission, getting into the highest possible gear without causing engine stall (or that annoying “lugging” noise) saves gasoline.
Ditch the Roof Rack
Roof racks dramatically increase air resistance, especially at high speeds making your car’s engine burn more gasoline. It’s definitely worth the time to take off the ski rack in the middle of the summer, or the luggage rack after coming home from vacation.
Eschew the Drive-Through
Restaurant drive-thrus are a bad national habit and a silly waste of gasoline. Does it really take THAT much effort to park your car and pick up lunch inside? Remember this rule of thumb: just 2 minutes of idling burns enough gas to go about a mile in typical city driving. So, if you spend 5 minutes in the drive-thru 3 times a week, that amounts to 400 miles worth of gasoline a year burned for no good reason. Burn off a few calories instead by getting out of your car.
Ceiling Fans
To cut down on your winter heating bills, install ceiling fans in the rooms you use most to circulate warm air that gathers at the ceiling.
Try Walking
For very short trips — say, the distance you can walk in 20 minutes — driving is a fuel-ish decision. With starting the engine, stop and go accelerations, and restarting the engine to return, you’ll be lucky to get 20 mpg in even a Prius. Other cars will do far worse. So consider a walk to lunch, for light shopping or other errands.
Use Air Conditioning on the Higway
At highway speeds, aerodynamic drag is increased considerably by having the windows rolled down. If it is hot on the highway, roll up the windows and use your AC instead. You’ll be more comfortable and use less gasoline. In the city on short trips, try to avoid the AC by opening the windows.
Don’t Waste Too Much Energy Bargain-Hunting for Gas
With gasoline at over $4 per gallon, driving across town to the lowest priced station for a fillup may seem like a good idea. But it isn’t. If you use a half-gallon to save $2 on a 20 gallon fill-up you’ve not only saved nothing on gasoline, you’ve just worn down parts in your engine and brakes, not to mention the lost time. Best to fill up while on other trips, like on the way home from work.
Wind Robs You of Mileage
On the highway, most of the energy your car expends is to overcome air resistance because you are essentially driving into high speed headwind. Air resistance increases far faster than a linear rate. At 45 mph, even in the best-designed cars resistance really takes off. A rule to remember: every 5 mph increase over 55 mph in speed is like paying about 20 cents more per gallon of gas for most cars (and much more for trucks and SUVs). Drive at 75 mph if you must, but at 60 mph if you can.
Your Auto’s Air Conditioner
Reader M. Gilmore wants to know how much gasoline her car uses if she is in park with the car idling with the AC on (say, while waiting for someone) on a hot summer day. The answer depends a bit on the size of the engine, but a typical sedan will use about 1/5 to 1/4 or so of a gallon of gasoline per hour while idling, assuming it’s in reasonably good tune. Turning on the AC adds only a small amount of additional load onto the already running engine. So, at today’s prices of around $4 per gallon, idling for 20 minutes will use about 1/12 of a gallon or 33 cents worth of gas and put about 2 pounds of CO2 into the air.
Junk in the Trunk
Did you know that excess weight in your vehicle – like old junk in your trunk – can make a difference in your effective driving cost of about 10 cents per gallon? Remove every pound of unnecessary material you can. You may be surprised at what you’re carrying around. Burning gasoline to make camping equipment used once a year hurtle down the road is silly.
Drive Easy
The single most effective gas saving strategy in city driving (besides not getting in your car in the first place) is to avoid quick accelerations and stops. When accelerating from a stop, never press the accelerator more than half-way down and try to anticipate the next stop. If you have to brake to slow down quickly, you are merely converting gasoline to heat. It’s much better to coast part of the way. Estimated savings in city driving: about 10 percent to 12 percent, or about 50 cents per gallon!
