The Science Behind Saving Gas

gas pump

There has been lots of talk in the past and even recently about how to increase your fuel efficiency. This talk is usually associated with gas mileage, but in places like where I live, that also includes power. Our power comes from a petrol generating plant. Gross, I know.

While saving gas is very important, where, exactly, does all of the information floating out there in cyber-space come from? Is it reliable?

The most quoted numbers are actually from a company subcontracted by the US Government to do these studies. The researchers are known as Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc. and helped compile most of the information on FuelEconomy.gov. The science is sound, but just so you don’t confuse yourself with other reports out there (the internet isn’t always a credible source) here is a starter list of things you can do with you car and the percentage of gas saved, gathered from the above sites.

  1. Avoid aggressive driving. People who accelerate quickly then brake quickly can lower their gas mileage from 5% around town to 33% highway. That is a LOT of gas to lose. This pretty much means take it easy.
  2. Slow down. Also tied in with the avoid driving aggressively… speeding can cost you about $.24/gallon additionally for every 5mph driven over 60 (based on a gas price of $1.93/ gallon).
  3. Clean out your car. Every additional 100 lbs in your car will lower fuel economy by about 2%.
  4. Air Filter. When was the last time you changed that? If you are pretty good about your upkeep, changing an old filter to a new one increases efficiency by about 4%. If it has been a while, you can increase efficiency by 14%!

These are just the basics. The websites are full of tips of every variety to help you reduce your gas expenditures. There is even a calculator to determine how much money in fuel you will save over the year by comparing cars’ mpg ratings.

There is credible science out there backing up a lot of green ideas. What do you want to get the facts about?

An original 5 Minutes for Going Green post. Keep up with Marizela and her love of all things science-related (with occasional pictures of her doggy) at her personal site, Potspoon!

And remember, the skeeda bag giveaway is going on until THIS Sunday March 22nd at 7pm EST, and all you have to do to enter is comment on the giveaway post with a valid email address. If you haven’t entered yet, what are you waiting for?

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