Just finished an interesting week. I drove across the state for a conference. The conference was about online financial news. Many of the discussions included comments about how higher gas prices were causing big problems for consumers. (BTW, I agree that higher gas prices are causing problems for consumers. But, as you'll see in a moment, I'm a bit confused as to how consumers are reacting to the problem).
The first thing I noticed was that people were traveling a little slower on the highway. I couldn't ask them, but I suspect that they were trying to save a little gas. According to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml gas mileage decreases dramatically when you go faster than 60 mph. Until recently here in Florida the interstate moved along at about 80 mph. This trip it seemed to be closer to 75 mph. I usually try to stay with traffic, so I managed to save myself a few dollars this trip.
But, the signals were mixed. Yesterday was Mother's Day. Mama didn't want to cook and didn't want to eat what I volunteered to cook. She wanted to do takeout from one of those national chain restaurants. At this one, you call ahead and just pull into a special section of the parking lot. A server comes out to your car. They'll go back and forth until your transaction is complete. At 6:15 on Mother's Day you'd assume that they'd be busy. And, they were. What struck me as odd, was that I was the only one who shut off the engine and rolled down the windows. Granted the temperature was in the upper 80's. But, if gas is too expensive, how can I justify sitting in a parking lot for 10 minutes with the engine running? (maybe not everyone is concerned with gas prices)
Next, I refilled my tank. While I'm pumping gas the fellow on the other side of the island comments "guess it'll be $4 the next time we fill up". I have no way of knowing whether that's true or not. Even the experts at the conference couldn't tell for sure. But, I am convinced that if we want to have low energy prices we'll need to address both the supply and the demand side of the issue. That means taking steps to conserve the energy we have. But, it also means using the resources we have to produce more energy. We may choose to buy an SUV to go to the mall. We can decide not to make our homes more energy efficient. We can vote not to drill for oil or build refineries. We can say no to windmills and nuclear plants near us. We can put all of hopes on tomorrow's technologies being clean and abundant. We have that right. But, let's not kid ourselves into thinking that those decisions don't have costs. They do.
Finally, a way that you can reduce your cost of gasoline. Just by buying and using a tire gauge monthly, you'll get about 10% better gas mileage (if you're the typical driver). An investment of less than $5 and ten minutes a month could save you many dollars. Along with driving slower, it's the easiest way to reduce your fuel bill. You'll find more on the subject here.
Keep on Stretching those dollars!
Gary
