HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-10-28, Page 38Page 8
How much do you spend on gasoline?
BY ALAN C.
GUNN, CA
How much money de you
spend — per week, per *nth
and per year— for gasoline?
If you can't answer that
question at least fairly ac-
curately, chances are you're
spending too much. And the
chances are that you are
among the vast majority of
Canadians who actually
'waste gasoline.
In fact, in a time when
gasoline prices have
quadrupled in the last 10
years, with no end of further
price increases in sight, we -
have the worst conservation
record in the industrialized
world.
Conserving gasoline
simply makes good financial`
sense, and the ways to do it
are equally simple. Here are
a few.
First, keep your car in
proper tune. The modern
automobile is more fuel-
efficient than that of 10 years
ago, but that extra efficiency
is wasted if you don't keep it
in tune.
A dirty air filter, for
example, Can waste up to 64
gallons per year, while
fouled spark plugs or poorly
adjusted timing means that
unburnt gas is blown out with
the exhaust.
Next, keep tires properly
inflated. The drag of soft
tires can cost you an extra
six percent in gas.
Observe the speed limit. It
takes 22 per cent more gas to
travel the same distance at
112 kilometres per hour than
at 80.
Let the engine warm
gradually, instead of gun-
ning it in the morning. And
don't let it idle on high while
you wait. One minute of
idling uses more gas than
starting the motor. Then,
don't tear away in a
jackrabbit start; doing this
regularly can add another 6
per cent to your gas bill.
You will note that none of
this advice means you have
to drive your car less. But it
makes sense not to drive
when you don't have to.
Be prepared
Because it is imr
possible to know what lies
ahead., a motorist should
be prepared for all
eventualities. During the
course of any journey,
weather conditions may
change, a tire may fail, or
an accident may occur.
The following is a
checklist of items that
should be kept in a
vehicle to help the
motorist face any of the
above situations.
FLAT TIRE: serviceable
spare tire, jack, wheel
wrench, tire pressure
gauge, flares or other
warning devices,
flashlight, rug (to kneel
on), rags.
MINOR MEDICAL
EMERGENCIES: First-
aid kit, blanket.
WINTER DRIVING:
Booster cables, ice
scraper, brush, sand or
salt, shovel, tire chains,
windshield washer fluid.
SURVIVAL ITEMS:
Candle, matches, hat-
chet, extra clothing, fire
extinguisher, rope.
Auto games
Remember the good old
days when you could keep
youngsters busy on a motor-
ing trip counting farm
animals? We're seeing fewer
horses and cows today, but a
new pastime has emerged to
occupy the little darlings.
It's called "Muffler Watch":
count the mufflers alongside
the road.
Car Care Council takes
credit for inventing the
game, having observed as
many as 19 mufflers on one
20 -mile stretch of highway
401 in the Toronto area.
Counting mufflers may be
fun for the kiddies, but it can
be costly for the folks who
lost them, says the Council.
Roadside mufflers often are
.in perfectly good condition
when they part company
with the rest of the car; it's
just the brackets and clamps
that let go.
Economics aside, a more
serious concern about muf-
flers falling off vehicles at
highway speed is the danger
to anyone traveling behind
the offending vehicle. It's a
very real traffic hazard.
A periodic check of the ex-
haust system is recommend-
ed by Car Care Council, who
reminds motorists of the im-
portance of a secure, leak -
free exhaust system. The
carbon monoxide in exhaust
gas that can seep into the car
is colorless, odorless and
lethal.
Keeping exhaust system
parts intact makes sense in
many ways, ever. though
such measures might put a
dent in "muffler watching."
By observing the above
few simple rules, 12 regular
commuters between Toronto
and Barrie saved anaverage
of.12.9 per cent on fuel. If all
Canadian drivers did the
same, we would conserve 700
million gallons of gasoline a
year.
There are other things you
can do to improve fuel
economy, but they involve
trade-offs. Don't use your
air -conditioner unless you
really need to, nor drive with
the windows open — both add
to gasconsumption.
And consider carefully
which car to buy. Manual
transmission automobiles,
and especially those with an
overdrive gear, get better
mileage than those with
automatic transmissions.
However, that's another
trade-off of comfort and
convenience for economy.
You will have to decide on
those trade-offs for yourself.
But the other, basic rules are •
simply common sense. Not
to observe them is just to
waste gasoline in a world
where oil — a non-renewable
resource — can only get more
expensive.
Alan Gunn is with Deloitte
Haskins & Sells, Chartered
Accountants, Scarborough.
Dollar Sense offers
general financial advice by
members of The Institute of
Chartered Accountants of
Ontario.
choose insulation carefully
As energy costs con-
tinue to climb, more and
more Canadians . are
looking for ways to stop
their heating bills from
doing the same thing.
Aside from turning down
the thermostat and
making sure the furnace
is properly maintained,
one of the best solutions is
ins ulat ion.
Studies have already
demonstrated the energy-
saving possibilities of
insulation; what you save
in fuel bills will depend,
of course, on the type of
house and existing in-
sulation, among other
factors.
Yet, in reinsulated
homes, savings to con-
sumers have been as high
as 25 per cent, sometimes
more. In short, insulation
quickly pays for itself
through energy cost
savings. After than, it's
money in the bank.
So, when the threat of
another cold winter
arrives, do-it-yourselfers
start sizing up the job
while others begin
searching for a qualified
contractor. In either
case, a little . prior
knowledge will ensure
that the insulation
materials used are as
effective aspossible.
CHECK THE "R"
VALUE
Thickness is not the
only factor in derterming
the effectiveness of in-
sulation. Materials that
are good for insulating
purposes are poor at
conducting heat. To
provide a standard of
comparison for insulation
materials, "R" value is
used to measure
resistance to heat
transfer.
Tests are conducted on
insulation materials to
determine the degree to
which they allow heat to
pass through. The
materials are then
assigned an "R" number
according to ef-
fectiveness. The higher
the R -value per inch of
insulation, the., more
effective the material is
in resisting the escape of
heat.
If your attic ceiling has
no insulation and you
want an R -value of R-28,
you need eight one -inch
batts of insulation with an
R -value of 3.5 per inch. If
you buy two-inch batts
stamped "R-7", the R -
value per inch of that
insulation is 3.5.
The building code" "
branch of the ministry of
consumer and com-
mercial relations
recommends that you
upgrade ceiling in-
sulation to R-28, walls to
R-12 except solid
masonry walls, and
basement walls to R-8 if
less than 50 per cent of
the wall is above the
ground; if more than 50
per cent is above ground,
R-12 is recommended.
Cathedral ceilings, floors
over unheated garages,
unheated crawl spaces
and overhangs to the
outside should be in-
sulated to R-20.
TYPES OF
INSULATION
Insulation has come a
long way since the days
when newspaper,
sawdust or woodshavings
Turn to page 9 •
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