Motor Fuels and Driving Tips

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Up to this point, you have learned some remarkable facts about heating oil and the Oilheat industry. You have become familiar with the extraordinary transformation that has taken place within the industry and how crucial this has been for marketers, manufacturers and consumers. We have also been pleased to provide you with tips to make your Oilheat equipment more efficient in order to save you time and money.

Motor fuels, like heating oil, have sustained some major changes due to the new technologies developed for the exploration of ancillary oil reserves, government regulations, environmental concerns and increased efficiency opportunities.

Historically, American culture has always been linked to motoring. The world knows we Americans have always had a love affair with our cars. We love taking vacations "on the road." In fact, it was American beat generation writer Jack Kerouac who coined the phrase, "On The Road," following it up with the classic novel of the same name.

We are a mobile culture. We jump in just to go around the block and we prefer it that way. Our fascination with the automobile is not just about getting from a to b, but how. Since the early days of Hollywood, filmmakers have collectively romanticized America's love affair with the automobile: Rebel Without A Cause, American Graffiti, Thelma and Louise. Even our terminology for the automobile is seeped in idyllic jargon: hot rod, roadster, hot wheels, cream puff, grease lightning.

As motorists, we take to the road with joy. But as consumers living in a volatile time of rising energy prices, we should learn how to increase our vehicle's motor fuel efficiency. The following is a list of helpful hints:

Driving Tips

• Fuel Economy usually decreases as speed increases. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for every 1 mile per hour you drive above 55 m.p.g., a vehicle loses about one percent in fuel economy.
  
• Using the air conditioner could decrease mileage by as much as 21%. Use flow-through ventilation when possible.
  
• Turn off your car engine if stopping for more than 30 seconds. Restarting uses less fuel.
  
• Don't warm up your car longer than 30 seconds. Sitting and idling burns gas.
  
• Accelerate gently but steadily. Jack-rabbit starts decrease mileage by up to 12%.
  
• Use cruise control whenever possible.
  
• Don't top off when filling up. It adds to air pollution.
  
• Use the appropriate engine oil for each season.
  
• Proper car maintenance saves money. Inflate tires properly. Under-inflated tires waste fuel and shorten the tire life.
  
• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nearly 4 million gallons of gas can be saved per day for every 1 lb. per square inch of under-inflated tire. Check tires when they are cold.
  
• Clean air and oil filters help maintain fuel efficiency.
  
• Old, dirty oil and clogged filters rob engines of efficiency and increase air pollution.
  

Did You Know...

Octane is a measurement of the anti-knock properties of fuel. Octane is not a measure of power. Since approximately 80% of today's vehicles are suited for regular gasoline, using a higher grade may not be to your advantage. Check your manual.

It takes more crude oil to refine a gallon of premium gas than regular. The U.S. Department of Energy claims that if all drivers throughout the nation bought the right octane of fuel, we would save more than 1 billion gallons of gas per year!

(read more about it in "Which Octane Should I Buy?")

Emissions

What's in store for the future of motor fuel? The outlook for motor fuel appears quite promising. In fact, over the last 30 years, the U.S. has been extremely diligent in creating fuels that emit less harmful pollutants commonly called emissions. The 1970 Clean Air Act, for example, was the first legislation that gave authority to the EPA to regulate motor vehicle pollution. As a result, automobile manufacturers were compelled to design cars that would comply with federal standards of reducing harmful output.

You've heard about "emissions" for years. The word alone tends to evoke something negative because we have always heard about the importance of "reducing emissions." Still, you may be a bit fuzzy on what emissions are and what role they play in our lives. For that reason, the following is a brief summary.

By virtue of their design, automobiles emit fuel. Fuel evaporation occurs when a car is running, when someone refuels, even when a car is cooling down after a drive. Since Henry Ford's Model T, automobiles have emitted several types of pollutants (hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide).

Through legislation (the Clean Air Bill of 1970) and the environmentalist movement, emission reduction not only became the standard order, but a nationwide commitment. The result included improvements in engine design to collect and reduce emissions. The introduction of unleaded gasoline during the late seventies also reduced ambient lead levels.

By the early 1980s, automobile manufacturers began equipping cars with more sophisticated emission control systems, further supporting the reduction of fuel pollutants. The promulgation of the 1990 Clean Air Act by the EPA resulted in the widespread use of MTBE as an oxygenate additive in reformulated gasoline for reducing carbon monoxide emissions. Oxygen helps gasoline burn more completely, reducing harmful tailpipe emissions from motor vehicles. However, beginning January 1, 2004 New York State law bans the use of MTBE in gasoline due to concerns about its effect on the drinking water supply. Ethanol is now being substituted.

Fuels of the Future

The most common types of petroleum motorists use in the U.S. are gasoline and diesel. While advanced technology in automobile manufacturing has provided improved fuel economy and reduced emissions, the petroleum industry has also made significant progress, developing new and exciting fuel alternatives collectively referred to as either "clean" or "fossil fuels".

Clean fuels emit fewer hydrocarbons which are less reactive and less toxic thus, less harmful to the ozone. The use of clean fuel helps to slow the atmospheric build-up of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to the potential for global warming.