June 3, 2008: Watch this video clip on CNN's website: In it, CNN's Miles O'Brien gets a hypermiling lesson from a guru of fuel conservation, who gets 50 to 150 mpg in his Honda Accord. This guru, Wayne Gerdes, is also cited on the Happy Speeder website from his interview with Reader's Digest in May, 2008. That article is where he describes his radical energy saving tactics, like using an "Ice Vest" to avoid running the auto air-conditioner.
I am shopping around for an "Ice Vest", if anyone has suggestions. Anything to cool off while sitting in traffic sounds good to me. Especially during the summer, when here in Atlanta, the blacktop interstate is often 100 degrees before noon. The good thing about commuting during the summer, is that the rush-hour traffic is usually not as heavy as during the school year. Less traffic = shorter commute time = less fuel use, right? Maybe; but if you are like me, you don't see much savings. Possibly because of the unbearable heat and the necessity of running the a.c.. I have been trying to turn off my car's a.c. more often now, but it is taking some getting used to. Until the gas prices became painful, my natural reflex, if the air was too cold, would be to adjust the interior temperature up a few degrees. After all, isn't that why my car has an interior thermostat? Another reason could be that I often drive faster than I would during heavy traffic. This is not because I can't drive slow without traffic to impede me, but if I hit the snooze button 1(or 2) times more, thinking to myself, "well, traffic will be light...", then I end up running late. Oh, it is easy to blame... I could blame the weather, the automobile manufactures, the public school system, and more... If only blaming would save money at the gas pump. It doesn't, though, and if I want to reduce the pain in my pocket, I am going to have to make a choice. The choice between my car's a.c. and my snooze button is not going to be a hard one. I am free to get up and Drive a little slower to SAVE A LOT!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Why does the demand for gas increase in the summer?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
The ice vest idea is interesting. I looked around on the web and saw some for 150-200 dollars. I'm sure there's a way to make one at home where you could insert some gel packs. I feel a goodwill trip coming on!
What about a fly fishing vest with all the little pockets to hold several cold compress packs? When you get to work, just pop them in the freezer (assuming you have access to one) then reload the vest for a cool ride home. For the women, how about just wrapping one of those cold compress packs in a thin dish towel and tucking it under a bra strap? At least something would be cool!
Post a Comment