21 easy ways to save on fuel

This story was originally titled "Save on Fuel" in the April 2009 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

CAA Saskatchewan and Direct Energy offer 21 tips on how you can use less gas in your car and home – saving money and the environment.

In your car:
1. Don't speed. When you drive at more than 90 kilometres an hour, your fuel efficiency decreases. Cars are most fuel efficient when operating between 60 and 70 kilometres per hour.

2. Plan your route. Combine errands and try to avoid heavy traffic areas and road construction to save fuel.

3. Watch your weight. Remove unnecessary items from your car. An extra 100 pounds can increase your fuel and usage costs by two per cent.

4. Turn it off. Shut off/unplug all power-sucking accessories, such as phone chargers, air conditioning and the radio, before turning off your car. This decreases the engine load for the next time you start your vehicle, and will use less gas.

5. Reduce idling. Any more than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine. If you're not stopped in traffic, turn off your engine.

6. Check your tire pressure. Under-inflated tires reduce fuel efficiency. If every light-duty vehicle in Canada had properly inflated tires, we could save a total of about 643 million litres of fuel a year.

7. Make the most of your transmission. For manual transmissions, shift gently but quickly into higher gears, where your engine works more efficiently and uses less fuel. For automatic transmissions, use the overdrive gear at high speed to reduce your engine's workload, which saves fuel and cuts down on engine wear.

8. Get regular tune-ups. Ensuring your car is in top shape will reduce the likelihood of repairs, and will save fuel.

9. Use other options. Carpool, walk, bike or take public transit.

10. Work from home. Talk to your employer about working from home one day a week, or more if possible, to help reduce your use of gasoline.

11. Don't be an aggressive driver. Hard breaking increases fuel consumption by up to 40 per cent.

12. When driving on the highway, use cruise control. This saves on fuel by keeping your speed constant.

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