Using Less:Energy Saving
Paying Less
Polluting Less
"a liter saved is a dollar earned"
Using Less:Energy Saving
There's a lot of nonsensical advice going round on how to save gasoline, and this page originally resulted from a reaction to an example. What I omitted to say is that the best and easiest way to save on energy is to use less, and not to invest in alternative sources. So let's look at ways to do just that. There are sites explaining in more detail, some of which are listed below.
Driving
Stop driving like a maniac flooring that pedal costs Drive the speed limit over 80 kms/hour, it's 1% extra fuel to go 1km/hour faster Use your airco opening windows results in more drag plus, you breathe more deadly fumes - just don't turn your car into a fridge Avoid excessive idling kill your motor if you expect to stop for 1 minute or longer Don't accelerate uphill this really costs
Indoors
turn that airco down what's the use of having to wear sweaters for the cold?
or to sleep under a blanket?keep doors and windows closed everybody knows this! but many don't do it close curtains besides, think of peeping toms! use window film even if you don't have the airco on keep burners low have the gas flame heat the bottom, not the side, of your pots and pans
use a lid on that pandon't you need a new fridge or freezer? newer models can be real savers keep that fridge door closed "Mucha, sera e frigidaire!" switch it off when not needed and replace those light bulbs with FLs
The text below is an explanation and validation of a letter I wrote to Amigoe newspaper, in reply to a well-meant letter by Roli Perret Gentil on how to save gasoline. I hope Perret Gentil doesn't mind my quoting him:Oumento di gasolinWith our temperature conditions, that volume argument is not very impressive. The expansion factor of gasoline is 0.0383333333%/degree Celsius. Gasoline tanks in all gas stations are underground, where under the worst conditions at 1m deep the temperature difference with above-ground is only .02% of the surface amplitude. Which here is less than 5.5 degrees. All in all, that gives an expansion of 0.0383333333/100*0.2108333333%=8.0819444361e-5%. Put in practical terms, on a 50L tank that would mean a difference of 4.0409722181e-3 liter/day or 1.47 liter per year. Not worth it.
8 Nov, 2007, 17:06 (GMT -04:00)
YA KU gasolin, diesel i otronan a bolbe subi ku algun sèn mi ta bai duna algun opservashon produktivo pa kumpra gasolin na e mihó manera posibel pa asina pueblo en general por spar maske ta algun sèn i haña mas gasolin pa kada sèn. Sigui e siguiente sugerenshanan pa asina haña mas gasolin pa bo sèn.
Semper yena bo tanki di gasolin mainta trempan, ya ku e ora ei temperatura di tera ainda ta friu. Kòrda ku pòmpnan di gasolin tur tin nan tankinan bou di tera. Kiermen mas friu tera ta mas denso e gasolin lo ta. Ora tera ta kayente e gasolin ta ekspandé, konsekuentemente bo ta haña ménos gasolin.
Ora bo ta yena gasolin e man di e pòmp tin tres midí: lihé, ménos lihé i pokopoko. Nunka usa e midí mas lihé di yena gasolin sino usa esun mas pokopoko, di e manera aki e vapornan ku ta wòrdu kreá ora bo ta yena gasolin ta mínimo i atrobe bo ta haña mas gasolin.
Otro rekomendashon ta pa bo yena bo tanki semper ora e ta na mitar, ya ku mas gasolin bo tin den bo tanki ménos airu ta akumulá den bo tanki, konsekuentemente mas gasolin bo ta haña pa bo sèn.
I último rekomendashon ta nunka yena bo tanki ora e trùk di Curoil ta yenando tanki di e pòmp, pasobra na e momentu ei tur e gasolin den e tanki di e pòmp ta wòrdu mesklá i tur porkeria ku tin den e tanki ta kuminsá move, konsekuentemente e porkeria por bin kaba den bo tanki di outo.
E rekomendashonnan i/òf sugerenshanan aki sinembargo, mester ta tarea di gobièrnu. Pero ya ku nos tur sa unda nan prioridatnan ta, ami a tuma e inisiativa pa trese nan dilanti pa asina duna pueblo maske ta un tiki benefisio i spar algun sèn ora di yena gasolin.
ROLI PERRET GENTIL
Curaçao
Translation from Papiamentu, excerpt:
Gasolin is more expensive, here some tips to save:
Fill your tank in the morning because gasoline expands when hot leading to less energy/volume bought.
Keep your tank at least half full.
There are more tips.
I wrote back to Amigoe that these tips were not of much use in Curaçao, with a link to this page to explain.
The same goes for driving around with a full tank; you pay fuel to schlepp all that extra weight around. Apart from going out of your way to tank so often, which costs fuel, starting your engine equals 30 seconds of driving. Idling, prohibited at gas stations anyway, is even more expensive.
copyright notice