Tips to Mitigate Summer Gas Prices

I am sure everyone remembers the costly skyrocketing of gas prices last summer, a memory one surely wishes to erase. Well, perhaps this summer you can be, at the very least, prepared. I currently intern at the Alliance to Save Energy, which is a non-profit organization that helps consumers and policy-makers make informed decisions about maximizing the potential of energy efficiency. I recently learned about a great consumer campaign the Alliance to Save Energy is managing and thought I would pass it on to those DC metro area residents that drive a lot. This year, the Alliance is running the Drive $marter Challenge which successfully saved people hundreds of dollars last year through the use of simple driving and maintenance tips. Oh yeah, and they polluted a lot less!

On the website, www.drivesmarterchallenge.org, you can take the Drive $marter Challenge which is a fun way to see exactly how much money you can save based on the year, make, and model of your car by committing to do several gas saving actions. For instance, some of the tips you can find on the website are:

• Tone down the road rage around town and you could save 5% of your gas, adding up to 55 bucks a year.
• A common one, but not taken that seriously at times, is to make sure your tires are inflated. This can save you around 3% of your gas, or $40.
• “Ditch the junk in the trunk” and you could save $25 if you are hauling around an extra 100 pounds of stuff in your car.

These are just a few of the helpful things the Drive $marter Challenge suggests. If you did the math, these three things alone could save you over 100 bucks a year. Furthermore, if you planning on taking a summer vacation away from the lovely DC area, the Drive $marter Challenge website even lays out how you can plan your trip so you can maximize your fuel efficiency and have a little extra spending money for a pina colada on the beach. Finally, the site also validates or dispels some interesting myths such as whether or not it is better to buy gas in the morning. Find out if this is fact or myth at www.drivesmarterchallenge.org.

Photo Credit: CC-licensed by Flickr user ****ellievanhoutte