DOE/Alliance to Save Energy Powerful $avings Campaign Offers Tips for Getting Best Mileage
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The traditional heavy summer driving season has not yet arrived, yet gasoline prices nationwide have already averaged nearly $2.60 a gallon, up some 40 cents from a year ago and could see more price volatility as the driving season progresses. To help motorists cope, the Department of Energy (DOE)/Alliance to Save Energy Powerful $avings campaign offers consumer tips in both English and Spanish to get better mileage and reduce gasoline expenses.
"Keeping vehicles properly maintained and driving smart can significantly boost mileage and lower gasoline costs," said new DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner.
Alliance President Kateri Callahan added, "Households paid more than $4,000 last year to power their homes and vehicles. Consumers can cut those costs with tips from the DOE/Alliance Powerful $avings campaign."
Basic Maintenance Pays Off
* Keep your car properly tuned up to improve gas mileage by about 4
percent; replacing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve mileage by as
much as 40 percent.
* Keep air filters clean to improve mileage by up to 10 percent.
Replacing clogged or dirty air filters also keeps impurities from
damaging the inside of your engine.
* Keep tires properly inflated to improve gas mileage by about 3.3
percent and improve tire safety and longevity. Every 1 psi drop in
pressure of all four tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent.
* Use the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil to improve your
gas mileage by another 1-2 percent. Look for "Energy Conserving" on
the API performance symbol to ensure friction-reducing additives.
On the Road ...
* Curtail aggressive driving. Speeding and rapid acceleration and
braking cut mileage up to 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5
percent in town. Nix jack-rabbit starts in favor of slow acceleration
from a dead stop.
* Obey the speed limit. Speeding cuts fuel economy 7 to 23 percent, as
gas mileage decreases rapidly above 60 mph. Driving faster than 60
mph is like paying more than the posted amount for each gallon of gas.
* If available, use your vehicle's overdrive gear when appropriate to
reduce engine speed, which will enable you to save gas and reduce
engine wear.
* Use cruise control to help cut fuel consumption by maintaining a
steady speed during highway driving.
* Pack lightly when traveling, and avoid carrying items on your
vehicle's roof. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk cuts a typical car's
fuel economy 1-2 percent.
* Avoid idling, which gets 0 mpg. Cars with larger engines typically
waste even more gas at idling than cars with smaller engines.
* Combine your errands into one trip and plan your routes carefully to
drive fewer miles and use less fuel -- and reduce wear and tear on
your vehicle. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use
twice as much fuel as a longer, multipurpose trip covering the same
distance when the engine is warm.
Other Gasoline-, Money-Saving Options
* If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better gas
mileage whenever possible. If you drive 15,000 miles a year, you can
save $645 a year by driving a car that gets 30 mpg rather than 20 mpg.
That's almost $2,600 extra in fuel costs in just four years!
* Carpool or ride-share. Some urban areas allow vehicles with multiple
passengers to use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.
* Use public transportation. Check the American Public Transportation
Association's website for local public transit information
(http://www.apta.com/links/state_local/).
* If your employer permits, consider telecommuting or staggering your
work hours to avoid sitting in traffic and wasting gas during peak
rush hours.
* Protect your health and your pocketbook by walking -- or biking -- to
your destination whenever possible.
Buying, Renting, or Leasing a Car
* Federal income tax credits of $250 to $3,400 are available in 2006 and
2007 to purchasers of hybrid-electric or diesel vehicles, based on the
vehicle's efficiency and fuel savings. Tax credits are dollars
deducted from taxes owed. After each auto manufacturer has sold
60,000 hybrids, the credit begins to phase out -- so it pays to put
your order in sooner rather than later. See
http://www.ase.org/taxcredits for details, and check out local excise
tax reductions and other benefits for hybrid purchasers, too.
* When buying or leasing a new vehicle, think high gas mileage. Check
out the DOE website, http://www.fueleconomy.gov/, for information on
fuel-efficient vehicles.
* When renting a car, ask for a model that gets better fuel economy.