Fuel Efficiency Adviser

Small changes in the way you drive can have a big impact in reducing fuel use and CO2 emissions

Avoid rapid starts and stops.  Gentle acceleration and braking can save you money

Keep on rolling. Stop and Go can waste energy because it takes more gas to accelerate from a full stop. Anticipate stops ahead and try to cost whenever possible. Slow and go beats Stop and go.

Use air-conditioning at higher speeds. Air conditioning can reduce mileage as much as 20%, but driving with the windows down can reduce fuel economy through aerodymanic drag. So, when driving at slower speeds, (less than 40mph) open those windows . Also use the "recycle inside air" option, instead of drawing hot air from outside to be cooled completely.

Avoid idling even if you will be waiting at the curb for a short period.

Maintain optimum speed. Driving over 60mph guzzles more fuel. Observing the speed limit can improve mileage by as much as 23%. use cruise control on flat terrain.

Plan trips to take the shortest route

Use the highest gear possible Your car starts in the lowest possible gear, for optimum power, which uses more fuel.use the overdrive when possible.

See the Fuel Efficiency Adviser at Florida Eco Products - FloridaEcoProducts.com

When you follow real time Smart Driving information from your Fuel Efficiency Adviser™ combined with minimum maintenance recommendations, you can reduce your fuel consumption as much as 33% and eliminate the excess pounds of CO2 your vehicle is currently releasing into the atmosphere. Fuel Efficiency Adviser

• Raise your Thermostat to 78 This is the number one way to conserve energy- also see the  Cool-N-Save an a/c pre-cooling system  which creates a cool zone around your a/c unit so it pulls in cooler air. This means the a/c  works less and so more efficiently. Save up-to 30% on your a/c energy costs.
• When you are away from home for more than 8 hrs, raise the thermostat setting and you can expect to see a 1% savings for each degree of setback.  Invest in a Programmable Thermostat 
• Keep shades closed when the air conditioning is on. Sunny windows account for 40% of unwanted heat and can make your air conditioner work 2 to 3 times harder.
• Check and clean filters Cleaning and replacing air conditioning filters monthly allows the system to run more efficiently.
• Install ceiling fans. Don't underestimate the importance of ceiling fans. Moving air over the body provides a cooling effect. The use of ceiling fans can mean savings of around 25% on cooling costs and can make the temperature seem 10 degrees cooler.
• Make sure ceiling fans are blowing down. Most fans have a switch to change the fan direction. Make sure ceiling fans are rotating in a counter clockwise direction to send air past your body.
• Run appliances with large energy use late in the evening. Use the dishwasher and washing machine late in the evening. When used in the day these appliances produce additional heat, causing you air conditioner to work harder. The Kill-a-Watt electricity usage monitor will asses how efficient products really are.
• Use cold water to wash dishes and clothes. This will save on water heating costs. A Hot Water Gauge thermometer card will tell you if your hot water heater is set too high.
• Unplug equipment not in use. Electric chargers, televisions and audio/video equipment use electricity and produce heat even when they are not in use. Running an older refrigerator can use up to 3 times the electricity of a modern energy star approved one. Unplug any appliance when it's not in use or use a Belkin Conserve 8 which conveniently minimizes the standby power by enabling you to turn off multiple devices with just one click of the remote switch.
• Turn off lights Turn lights off when exiting a room. Replace incandescent bulbs with EcoBulb Plus energy efficient CFL's, and remember to recycle CFL's whenever possible

        

I came across an interesting term today - Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.

The above definition is from wikipedia and was coined by NY environmentalist Jay Westerveld to address the fake Green of hotel companies which requested guests reuse their towels to "save the environment" whilst reducing the hotel costs and increasing profits.  

It is important to us all to champion the green lifestyle and promote changes that will help save our environment but we need to make sure that those who changes are real and will make a measurable difference not only in the immediate action but also in the thought behind the action.

Lets ask questions from companies who are using the advertising style and make sure the actions match the talk.

Thank you, Paul

Facts:

75% less energy is used with an Energy-Star labeled compact flourescent lightbulb (CFL) compared to a standard incandescent bulb.

Energy Star was introduced by the EPA as a voluntary labeling program designed to help identify energy-efficient products

CFLs last up to 10 times longer and save $30 over the life of the bulb

CFLs produce less than 100 degrees of heat compared to haolgen bulbs at 1'000 degrees

Replacing one bulb prevents the release of 300 pounds of carbon dioxide in just one year

Switching just one bulb off in every houshold would reduce carbon dioxide by 90 billion pounds per year

If each home replaced five frequently used lightbulbs with CFLs, close to $8 billion a year in energy costs could be saved.


see our website  for Feit Ecobulb low mercury CFLs


Facts from article by Mathew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza / McClatchy-Tribune Newspapaers

Tampa Bay customers can visit www.tampaelectric.com for FREE CFL bulbs for completing an on-line Home Energy Audit