To Front Contact Us About B.E.S.T. Introduction What We Do Services Info Recent Projects Qualifications Publications Our Clients Features Green Building Energy Efficiency Healthy Homes Resource Files Top-Ten Lists Useful Links

Building Environmental Science and Technology Credible Gas Saving Tips __________________________________ Everybody needs a break on gas these days. We can make some of our own, and you don't even need to be a building scientist (but it helps). Forget about the magnetic dingus that bolts on the fuel line. Maybe the $40 air filters are OK since ones like "K&N filtercharger" popular with motorcyclists and street-tuners are washable, hence less trash generated -- but only if your drive a lot. Otherwise, caveat-emptor -- * Don't drive faster than 60 mph. Every 5 mph over costs about 30 cents a gallon. Excessive speed is a killer as well. ( @ ) * Change your oil ( ! ! ) regularly, keep your tires fully inflated (^^), change your air filter and tune up the car.(**) * Keep the aerodynamics of your vehicle intact. Luggage carriers and bikes on the roof create drag and cut fuel mileage. (but that junk looks sooo cool) * Use the air conditioner instead of rolling down the windows. ( % ) When the windows are all open, you get worse gas mileage because a car with open windows has more drag than with the windows closed. * Set your air conditioner to use recirculated air -- the circular arrow symbol -- rather than drawing in hot air to cool.( & ) * Don't make fast starts and stops. Coast toward red lights and accelerate slowly out of them. * De-junk the trunk; excess weight decrease fuel economy. * Reduce unnecessary idling -- stopping with engine on longer than a couple of minutes is wasteful. The larger the engine, the worse the waste. Doing all this stuff can save up to about 15% on gas, so if you use about 600 gallons per year like the average person (AAA says its more) then you might save = 12,000 miles / 22 MPG * $3.80 gal = $2073 X 15% = $310 without too much up front cost. ______________________________ Notes: @ -- In California, if you drive 60 on most freeways make sure your insurance is paid up and emergency flashers are on; watch for the universal digital salute as the stuffed shirts fly by, yakking on their cell phones about how expensive it is to fill up the SUV. ! ! -- Changing to $$ synthetic oil in cars that don't need it from the factory provides only a small benefit. May actually increase overall operating costs. Check owners manual. Changing oil too often -- duhh -- wastes oil ! ^^ -- Don't be a sucker for the "High-tech Nitrogen Package" at about $100 per application. Since air is about 3/4 nitrogen anyway, you are just paying for someone's vacation to Jamaica. The only place N2 in tires makes sense is on the track where it helps control temperature variations that can affect race cars' handling. ** -- Most new cars with electronic management systems and fuel injection, only RARELY need a "tune up." Sticking with manufacturer maintenance interval is best. Every oil change it helps to apply a ~ $ 3 container of "Fuel system cleaner" since there is a lot of contaminated and adulterated gas being sold at convenience stores and discounters. % -- This is true at speeds in excess of 45 MPH according to another study. It's due to increased turbulence of air around the window openings increasing aerodynamic drag. & -- OK as long as there is nothing stinky in the car like food scraps, dogs, gym equipment, etc. In most cars the air control is manual with a lever. You can set it half way to mix some fresh air with recirculated air just like an energy efficient building control system. Sources: AAA, California DMV, NHTSA, Wikipedia Exhaustive detail here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_economy_in_automobiles (Prepared in the U.K.) Updated: August 15, 2008