Read in the morning paper that the petrol price is about to sky rocket yet again somewhere April. This is not a small increase mind you it’s a massive 65c per litre for petroleum and up to 1.35c per litre for diesel! This would mean that the price of fuel would go up to more than R2.00 per litre in little less than two months. It seems to me the world is going energy crazy as Eskom (South Africa’s parastatal electricity provider) wants to increase the price of electricity by 53%. That is on top of the 14% increase it was awarded by the national power regulator! We live in some churning times, I tell you.
I’m wondering how this is going to affect my budget as every Rand I save is a Rand closer to my million bucks!
Turns out that even the last increase of +-65c was hurting my efforts and I quickly started making some calculations:
· My car has a 45 litre fuel tank.
· I get an average of 550km per tank driving “normally”.
· I drive roughly 1600km per month.
· That’s almost 3 tanks each month.
|
|
Total fuel bill pre-price increase |
Total fuel bill post price increase |
Difference |
|
Non saving mode |
R1008.57 |
R1113.89 |
R105.32 |
That’s a whole R105.32 less per month or R1321.87 per year calculated at 9.75% interest. The figure looks even more frightening if you calculate over 60 months (5 years) a whopping R8102.02! That is if all things remain true.
I calculated that if I were to drive economically I could get up to 600km per tank and save a whole 126.25 per month. This is looking very attractive to me because as you will notice in the table below, the price is lower than my fuel bill pre-price increase of 65c per litre. And by the time I reach 30 I would have saved at least R9712.10!
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|
Total fuel bill post price increase |
Difference between non saving and saving |
|
Saving mode |
R987.64 |
R126.25 |
Here a few tips for improving your fuel economy on your car:
1.
- Only buy or fill up your car or bakkie in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your litre is not exactly a litre.
- In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
- One of the most important tips is to fill up when your tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, at fuel pipelines, every truck that is loaded is temperature compensated so that every litre is actually the exact amount.
- If there is a fuel truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy, DO NOT fill up–most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles at the bottom.
- When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.
- Don’t start and stop engine needlessly. Idling your engine for one minute consumes the fuel amount equivalent to when you start the engine.
- Never exceed legal speed limit. Primarily they are set for your travelling safety, however better fuel efficiency also occurs. Travelling at 100 km/h give you up to 21% better mileage when compared to the legal speed limits of 120km/h
- Drive steadily. Slowing down or speeding up wastes fuel. Also avoid tailgating – the driver in front of you is unpredictable. Not only is it unsafe, but if affects your economy, if he slows down unexpectedly.
- Think ahead when approaching hills. If you accelerate, do it before you reach the hill, not while you’re on it.
- Use alternate roads when safer, shorter, and straighter. Compare travelling distance differences – remember that corners, curves and lane jumping require extra fuel. The shortest distance between two points is always straight.
- Regular tune-ups ensure best economy; check owner’s manual for recommended maintenance intervals. Special attention should be given to maintaining clean air filters… diminished air flow increases fuel waste.
- Inflate all tires to maximum limit. Each tire should be periodically spun, balanced and checked for out-of-round. When shopping for new tires, get large diameter tires for rear wheels. Radial designs are the recognized fuel-savers; check manufacturer’s specifications for maximum tire pressures.
- Remove excess weight from trunk or inside of car – extra tires, back seats, unnecessary heavy parts. Extra weight reduces mileage, especially when driving up inclines.
- Stoplights are usually timed for your motoring advantage. By travelling steadily at the legal speed limit you boost your chances of having the “green light” all the way.
- Park car so that you can later begin to travel in forward gear; avoid reverse gear manoeuvres to save gas.
Let me know what you thoughts and/or experiences are on this topic!
