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Friday, May 9, 2008

Let's conserve some gas

Our gas prices are about $3.80/ gallon right now. What's yours? I'm dying to hear the price from my bloggy friends in Australia and Belgium. Our work commute is one mile and most of my errands are within 4 miles, so there isn't much for me to complain about. Still, conserving gas is important in our family and we keep an eye on our usage. Here's some tips I've been trying to keep in mind: (if you've got any to add, leave me a comment!)



* Do multiple errands on one trip. (easier said than done with little kiddos)

* Try to predict red lights, oncoming slower traffic and let off the gas early

* Take advantage of "free" momentum when going down hills

* Follow the speed limits. The faster you drive, the more gas you use.



The following info is from an e-mail. This guy works at Kinder Morgan Pipeline in California and knows some insider tips.




Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground
temperature is still cold. All service stations have their storage tanks
buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the
gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the
afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a
fast mode. In slow mode you minimize the vapors that are created while you
are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on
the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes
vapor.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF
FULL. The more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty
space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine.


4 comments:

Elise said...

Our average price of petrol (in the part of Austrlia I live) at the moment is about $1.45 per litre. Like you, I am planning my errands and trips more and using our car more efficiently.

Elise

Little Sweethearts said...

We drive a diesel and the current price is about 2 USD per litre. Turn that into a gallon and you pay about 7.5 USD...
Luckily for us, Belgium is only a small country ;)

Tania

Lisa said...

Thanks for the tips. I filled up yesterday and it cost the most it ever has. yikes.

Jane said...

Thanks for the tips! I just filled up today at the cheap station in the 'hood where I teach $4.45. Another cheap station not too far from our house is $4.59. I have seen gas as high as $4.69.

Have to admit it is changing my thrifting and crafting ways a bit. I don't want to drive far for either anymore.

 

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