Save Yourself the Trouble! Tips on how to save fuel

These last couple of weeks, I’ve been waking up feeling more and more anxious for summer to grace us with its presence, and I’m sure many of you share the same sentiment. I’ve been constantly checking the weather updates online, hoping that “maybe this week we’ll finally have every single day hit above sixty degrees” and “maybe this week the rain will finally stop”. I guess it’s pretty safe to say I’m completely fed up with spring and am entirely ready for Mother Nature to swing us right into the lazy dog days of beautiful summer. However, there’s one thing that I am dreading this summer: gas prices. Just like every summer, gas prices are on the rise yet again, and this year is especially bad what with the political turmoil roiling in the Middle East. Trust me, I have every notion of cracking out that bicycle and minimalizing my time behind the wheel, but I also have a couple road trips planned, and my twenty-gallon, eighty-dollar-to-fill-up gas tank ominously looms in my driveway. But what can I do? I have no choice but to fill my old Buick with gasoline, I can’t fill it with water or dirt. Thus, I decided to research ways that I can save fuel this summer, and the reason for posting this on an alternative energy blog? It turns out that saving fuel (and therefore reducing CO2 emissions) is actually good for the environment! Using less fuel means filling up less which means less fuel is inadvertently spewed into our atmosphere. But of course, being in Honors Chemistry and the Environment, we all already knew that, didn’t we…
One of the first rules for saving on fuel and reducing emissions into the atmosphere is to slow down while driving. On that note, another good rule of thumb is to accelerate moderately when coming from a red light to a green. If you lay on the gas you will waste fuel and emit carbon dioxide and other particles into the atmosphere that could have otherwise been moderately distributed in less quantities had you accelerated at a moderately slow pace so that the transmission can shift up into the higher gears (when dealing with an automatic vehicle). Shutting off the air conditioning during moderately slow speeds will help fuel usage, but using the air conditioner during high speeds will actually aid in reducing fuel consumption because having the windows open during high speeds will create a lot of resistance on the vehicle and therefore use more fuel to move said vehicle. Keeping the vehicle moving constantly (and not continuously stopping and going), even if it means rolling ever so slowly at a stoplight, will aid in reducing fuel consumption. By keeping the car moving at all times, this stops the need for pure acceleration, and therefore saves fuel. Another tip that I discovered is to make sure your vehicle’s tires have good pressure. If your vehicle’s tires have low air pressure, then that means you are driving dragging those wheels with you, and they are actually bringing you down in the sense that they are creating drag on the car. More drag on the car means more fuel is used to move said car, and more fuel means more money and more harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Checking your air filter can also help save fuel. A dirty air filter can restrict the flow of air into the engine, which can have harmful effects on the car’s performance and economy. One more tip to consider this summer (and always) is to keep the inside of your vehicle clean. Of course, everyone thinks to keep the outside clean, because that’s the part everyone sees, but keeping the inside clean can actually help you to save on fuel. The more unnecessary weight you put on a car, the more drag it will experience while on the road and the more fuel you will use. The lighter you car is, the more economical it is. And of course, there’s always those alternative forms of transportation that don’t require fuel at all: biking, walking, and skating.
Looking at all of these fuel-saving tips, the thing that they all have in common is that they are very doable, and highly effective. Every little bit counts, and if it means that I will save money on those road trips I have planned, as well as reduce harmful emissions into our precious atmosphere, then I’m all for it.
Sources:
http://cars.about.com/od/helpforcarbuyers/tp/ag_top_fuelsave.htm
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/fuel-efficient/5.asp
http://financialplan.about.com/cs/cars/a/SaveGas.htm