General News, It's hard being green > 5 ways to reduce your fuel costs…
January 24, 2012
With oil prices currently around $100 a barrel, now is as important a time as any to reduce your fuel costs.
Here are five ways to help you cut the costs of your fuel and be kinder to the environment at the same time.
- Improve the efficiency of your car
There are several ways you can make your car more efficient, including keeping tyres inflated, removing roof racks, using air con sparingly and simply not filling up the tank too full.
Air conditioning uses a lot of fuel, so being as economic as possible with this and only using it when you really need it will reduce your fuel usage significantly.
Since fuel is heavy, this can negatively affect your MPG. Reducing the overall weight of your vehicle by removing clutter and keeping the tank at half or a quarter full is a great way to save on fuel costs.
- Keep to the speed limits
Driving at high speeds uses more fuel. You can improve your mileage by 30% by driving at 50mph instead of 70mph for example.
- Buy a green-friendly car
There are many modern cars which are kinder to the environment, whether they are fully electric, hybrid or simply have low emissions. New car showrooms display fuel economy for cars, so make sure your next purchase is good for your wallet and the environment!
- Switch your engine off
If you’re going to be stationary for a long time e.g. in a traffic jam, turning your engine off will reduce fuel usage. Some modern cars have built in automatic engine cut off, however if you don’t have this make sure you turn off your engine if you’re going to be queued for a long time.
- Drive less, more sensibly
Shorter journeys use more fuel, so consider alternative transport for popping to the shops, or stick to good old fashioned walking!
Also, accelerating or braking hard will use more fuel, so try to accelerate gradually and brake well in time. Keeping revs as low as possible will also help to keep your fuel costs down.
And the 6th way…? Optimise your journey.
From haulage firms to private business wanting to ensure employees mileage claims are correct, BD works with a lot of companies for whom mileage matters. Potentially the best way of reducing your spending on fuel is by making sure your journey times and scheduled stops are balanced and optimised. To accurately assess your business’ fuel costs (and start reducing them), check out the cool stuff we do with our TimeTravel distance calculator.
Posted by Andre deGaye, Sales Executive at Beacon Dodsworth
