Chico, Sustainable

My residence lies three houses down from a stop sign on a 35 mph street that heads out of town. After cars come to a complete California stop, you would think there is a man standing at the corner vigorously waving a green flag. By the time some of the vehicles pass my house they are well on their way to reaching a cruising speed of 80 mph.

I must say that there are some impressively loud engines in Chico.

If I had a dollar for every unnecessary pedal-to-the-metal decibel, I would be a rich man.

Conversely, those folks could all likely save a couple of bucks each time they fill up by removing some of the lead from their right foot.

There is quite a bit of information out there on how to bump up your car's fuel efficiency by as much 30% or more over the EPA's official estimates (depending on your car, that's roughly a 5-10 mpg improvement). One Butte College student I spoke to mentioned that a little bit of patience and extra driving awareness earned him 75 miles more miles on a tank of gas, a savings of about $9.

So, for the times that biking simply isn't a feasible option, here are the seven fuel-saving tips that make the most sense to me. I encourage someone out there to try some (or all) of these tips for the duration of a tank and report how many more miles they are able to go. I am going to do my best as well, and will report back when my tank is empty.

1) Drive slower. In addition to being safer, the closer your speed is to matching the speed limit sign, the more gas you save. Most cars achieve their top fuel efficiency when in the highest gear at about 45-55 mph. Being realistic, I don't expect that everyone will drive 55 on the highway, but dropping one's top speed 5-10 mph can still make a difference (like setting the air conditioner to 80 degrees instead of 78).

2) Go easy on the accelerator. On a level highway, use cruise control. In town, accelerate in a leisurely fashion after a stopping at an intersection*. And when driving through downtown Chico, I have found that the traffic lights on Main and Broadway are timed at around 21-22 mph. When I go this speed, I almost always make every light and I rarely need to slow down or speed up. The bottom line is, the less you need to stop or slow down, the less you need to accelerate, and accelerating is what burns gas.

3) Keep your tires properly inflated. Though the gas savings is minimal, it is still an easy thing to do, and also improves the safety of your vehicle and increases the life of the tires.

4) Keep your car maintained.

5) Remove the luggage rack or bike rack when not in use for long periods, to decrease wind resistance. (Yes, even those sleek-looking cargo pods cause drag, which reduces fuel efficiency). Especially at speeds above 55 mph, wind resistance is one of the biggest factors affecting fuel efficiency.

6) Link errands into a single trip, and plan your route accordingly.

7) Carpool. A mid-sized SUV with four adults is more fuel efficient than a Prius with a single driver, when figured in miles per gallon per person. Better yet, figure out which of your carpool buddies has the most fuel-efficient vehicle, and try to use that car most often.

*According to the Toyota website, Prius owners should "accelerate moderately" from a stop, as the gas engine won't kick in until the car reaches about 15 mph. This is one reason why the fuel efficiency of a hybrid is better in the city than on the highway.