Year: 2020

Shouldn’t You Buy the Most Aerodynamic Car?

With the high price of gasoline, I can safely say to you and recommend that if you are planning on purchasing a new automobile that you look for a very aerodynamic car to buy. I have a number of reasons for this and I like to go through that with you if you have a few minutes. You see, being the coordinator for a think tank which operates online we often talk about innovative designs and aerodynamic efficiency.

Yes, it makes a lot of sense for aircraft and spacecraft and things of this nature, but it also matters for your personal car even if you won’t be driving it around the track as fast as a NASCAR driver or Danica who recently qualified for the Indy 500. Did you know that after you go over 55 miles per hour the coefficient of drag curve starts going hyperbolic. That means for every few miles an hour over 55, the wind resistance becomes greater and greater requiring the car to have more power or use more fuel to get through that air.

If you are going to putt around all day in the city you may not need a very good aerodynamically designed a vehicle, rather just a very small engine. If you plan on driving more than 55 miles per hour then you will need to consider all this and the faster you go the more important it really is. Despite the high fuel costs people are still driving fairly quickly out on the highway. If you don’t drive fast with them, you are likely to get rear ended, and this will cause your insurance rates to increase, and you will not have saved any money even though you thought you were conserving fuel.

There was an interesting article recently on MSNBC [dot] com titled “Why Speed Limits are Rising – Sure, You’d Save Fuel if You Drove More Slowly. And Safety Experts Point Out that Fatalities Increase with Speed. What in the World are States Thinking?” which was posted by someone with the company handle name CarInsurance [dot] com and published on May 20, 2011. The article notes;

“Kansas recently raised the speed limit on more than 1,000 miles of divided four-lane highways to 75 mph. Louisiana reset a rural interstate to 75 mph. Ohio upped the speed on its turnpike to 70 mph. Virginia raised the speed limit on its rural interstates to 70 mph. Texas boost limits to 85 mph on highways in west Texas.”

If all these people are going to drive faster, they will need more aerodynamically efficient car bodies, or they are going to pay significantly at the gas pump. The other day a friend of mine said he wanted to get a car that looked more like the F-117 Stealth Fighter, a more boxy looking car, and he was hoping he could drive fast and perhaps not get picked up on radar.

Indeed I laughed, but then …

Avoid the Rising Cost of Fuel

Buying a new hybrid would be great. Unfortunately new hybrids usually come with a premium price. That in my mind negates any cost savings you hope to gain. Most hybrids tend to cost $3-8k more than their non hybrid version, and don’t seem to get any more than maybe 10-15 miles more per gallon.

I do not need to do the math but it comes down to roughly a $500 per year savings. Now if you were lucky and you only pay $3k more than the non hybrid version you will be break even in 6 years. Thats an awfully long time and that is also a best case scenario.

You are probably asking yourself at this point what are my other options then. Well you could buy a new Prius, the payback is pretty good on these vehicles, but the styling is not for everyone. So now there are ways to increase your old car’s fuel efficiency and in some cases change the type of fuel it runs on.

One of the most intriguing products I have seen out there is a kit that allows you to turn your car from a gas guzzling vehicle to a car that sips water. You read that correctly, there is a way to make your car run on simple water. Any reviews that I have read have said even a kid could make the changes.

Now if turning a vehicle you already love but hate the gas mileage seems like something for you, take a look around the web and explore the various options. It would be great if we could use the most bountiful natural resource to fuel our vehicles and not only save money but reduce our effects on the environment.

The resource box at the bottom gives you some alternative energy ideas for your vehicle as well as simple do it yourself alternative energy products for your home.…

Fuel Efficient SUV – An Outline

Sport utility cars are acknowledged to be gas-guzzlers even though they provide far better gas mileage as compared to several cars. A fuel efficient SUV is ideal for people who usually transport bulky things, have numerous children and plan to do some off road driving once in a while or merely like an additional height for ease in getting in or out of the vehicle.

These days individuals are looking for ways to lessen their expenses without depriving themselves what they really need. A car is one of the necessities of many households to get to the office, school, store and primarily to go around. Many individuals are resolving to downgrade their automobiles or change to an electric, diesel, or a hybrid vehicle. Usually, the smaller the automobile the better the fuel mileage but that does not mean that you really do have to go smaller to economize on fuel. Sometimes it is better to consider alternatives obtainable with the similar dimension and category of the car.

Most individuals are now seriously musing regarding what a good fuel efficient SUV does. SUVs come under three kinds of fuel efficient SUVs. There are the small, the mid-size and the big crossovers and Sport utility cars. One of the finest places to discover the best SUVs is the Kelly Blue Book. The book has outlined a number of their finest fuel economy SUVs starting with the best fuel efficient SUV going down for each category of SUV. This informative article deals with the 2011 models only.

The small sport utility vehicle class comes with the Chevrolet Equinox four cylinders at the top of the list and does twenty-two miles per gallon in the city and thirty-two miles per gallon on the highway. It has a cultured, calm ride and completely out does other car in this classification. Its average starting price begins at around $23,000.

The Honda CR-V is as good as in the town as it is in driving off road doing twenty-eight miles to the gallon and will cost you approximately $21,000.

Hyundai Tucson has the cheapest price in this class at about $19,000. This has an optional all-wheel drive, excellent styling, and does thirty-one miles per gallon on the highway.

Subaru Forester features a twenty four thousand pounds hauling power and is specially made for people that like to show off on the road. Its starting price is around $20,000.

The number five position is the Toyota RAV4 doing 28 mpg, costs $22,000 as well as the first small SUV to deal with third row seats.

Acura RDX is a sports car and made for those that dream about a powerful vehicle, that has a huge carriage capability. It goes for around $31,000.

Audi Q5 with composite style and luxury has a starting price of $36,000.

The Infinite ECX35 has an initial price of $33,000 for a small SUV that is encumbered with technology and polished styling.

Mercedes-Benz GLK has all features for …

Review of Montgomery South RV Park

RV parks vary in amenities and price as much as the hotel/motel industry does. In RV parks as in hotels you can go from Motel 6 to New York Rich. But the key to a good RV park is for the owners to know their niche. In other words, be what you can comfortably be and charge accordingly. That pretty well describes the Montgomery South Campground, though one might suggest the price is a little on the high side.

Sometimes an RV traveler wants all the amenities and none of the hassles. Sometimes they just want a nice place to spend the night where they feel secure. Sometimes a place like Montgomery South RV Park is just right. We spent a quiet night there and with all of the amenities one might expect.

There are 30 sites, most of them gravel, all of them large and pull through. Clean restrooms that are particularly nice with chairs, mirrors and showers along with WiFi and full hookups are included. 30 and 50 amp service is available at all sites. There is no cable, but they indicate five channel are available. They also sell propane, which is an excellent service for those in need of propane.

Montgomery South RV Park is between 12 and 14 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama, depending on the map you read. It is located at Exit 158 off of I-65. 1/8 mile east and one mile north on Venable Rd and you are there.

The owner was on site to greet us and in general the staff was very helpful and friendly. The office has a large television and an inviting couch or two. I’m looking out the window of my RV and watching traffic whiz by on I-65. However the noise does not seem to be a problem at all.

I paid $26 with a discount. The park is a Good Sam park and is rated in Woodalls. They accept all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

The WiFi signal is not as strong as I would like it to be, though generally it is serviceable. There are several acres of pastureland for walking your pet. I think you will find this a great place to spend the night.

Montgomery South RV Park is located at 713 Venable Rd. Hope Hull, AL 36043. Their telephone number is 334-284-7006 and their email address is: …

What The Heck Is A Fuel Bladder and Why They Are In Strong Demand

It is well known that an army marches on food and water. Without a functioning supply line, armies starve and wars are lost. In the same way that they march on food, they drive and fly on fuel. Fuel Bladders are the easy way to keep fuel close to the equipment that needs fueling. A fuel bladder is a giant pillow like temporary device that can be filled safely with fuel. The largest off the shelf fuel bladder has a capacity of 20,000 gallons. Manufacturers also can manufacture fuel bladders over 100,000 gallon capacity as well!

Why order these items instead of fabricating storage tanks? Some applications are permanent while others are temporary. Temporary applications are prime fuel pillow users. When a site closes down, the fuel bladder used at that location can easily be moved to the next location. Why should anyone spend money on a permanent tank for a temporary task? The military needs lots of fuel, and they need it reliably. Fuel bladders allow the military to accomplish this well.

Other users would include construction sites, speedways, and even service stations. In parts of the world, land is precious. In these locations, the idea of a 30 ft x 30 ft x 6 ft contraption on the land would be unimaginable. Any service station in a dense location would need underground tanks. Consider that there are also locations where there is plenty of available land. In these locations, why waste money burying fuel tanks? A Fuel pillow could work out fine, and cost a lot less than an engineering job.

Water is as important to people as fuel is to machinery. Water bladders are also available. The same units can be used for potable (drinkable) or gray (non drinkable) water. To avoid dangerous mistakes, a qualified dealer should find out how to label the water bladder. Homes with decent acreage should have a supply of water in case of any water system failure. Even 500 gallons of potable water would allow a family to survive a water crisis for quite a while. Of course water bladders can also be used for commercial application such as condominiums, and hospitals. A Hospital needs water just as much as it needs fuel and energy. With lives at stake, hospitals need their emergency contingencies for water – both potable and non potable. Capacities are the same as fuel pillows ranging from 500 gallons to 20,000 gallons.

Hopefully this article has provided some interesting information.

Customers needing these devices should contact a reputable dealer.…

What to Look For When Buying a Diesel Heater

Diesel heaters, while not in common use, are often favored by campers, people who live or travel to isolated locations and for heating outside sheds or garages. There are many advantages to running a diesel heater. Diesel is very easy to find and it is a relatively cheap fuel. While care needs to be taken when transporting extra diesel fuel, it is generally easily transportable. If you are interested in buying a diesel heater here are a few tips on what to look for.

Look for a heater that burns diesel vapors rather than the diesel itself. You will find that these type of heaters give off a much cleaner and better combustion, and they do not smell like you are burning diesel.

For safety reasons, buy a heater that is guaranteed not to flood. It should also have a valve that prevents diesel from flowing into the burner if the flame goes out, or if the heater is tilted or tipped.

You will need to vent your heater, as it gives off carbon monoxide just a propane heater does. Look for one that is easy to assemble and install, especially the vent. Exhaust stack sections should fit together easily and be a very snug fit so there is no chance of fumes escaping through tiny cracks.

Check the warranty. It should be for at least one year. Try to get a longer warranty if you can, three years is a good length of time. Also, make sure that the heater can be serviced nearby if something goes wrong. You do not want to have to send your heater across the country for servicing. Usually these type of heaters will need servicing approximately every 1,000 hours. If you run your heater for 30 hours a week all through winter and autumn you will probably need to service your heater every couple of years.

Also, make sure the heater is large enough to heat the area it is needed for. You are better off getting a slightly larger heater than you need, which can be run at lower temperatures or for less time, than buying one that is simply too small to provide adequate heat. The retailer you buy your diesel heater from should be able to supply you with recommendations. These recommendations will depend on the area to heat, insulation of the room and outdoor weather conditions. Other things which may reduce the heaters effectiveness and which must be taken into consideration include the altitude at which the heater will be run and how many windows in the home.…

There is Nothing Evil About Fossil Fuel Energy Companies, But It Is Evil to Claim So

Fossil fuels for energy and fuel have served the human race well, and whereas no pollution would be nice, there is a lot of energy packed in fossil fuels, and there aren’t very many other sources of energy that can compete with that. There is nothing evil about fossil fuels, they are what they are, and they’ve served our purpose. And until in the future other alternative source of energy can compete without being subsidized, it is irresponsible to call out fossil fuels because it will raise the cost of energy to such a high point it will create economic challenges.

Poor people in the United States for instance won’t be able to run their air conditioners, or afford fuel for their cars to get to work, or anything else. In fact it’s irresponsible, and evil to cause them strife by unbalancing the level playing field of free markets on behalf of alternative energy which cannot perform at the same level because it doesn’t provide the same amount of energy. Those environmentalists who think that they are helping someone, are actually hurting society, and causing a worsened problem in the economy, and causing 10s of millions of people to fall out of the middle class here at home in the United States.

It’s even worse in other parts of the world, and I ask is it really fair to them? We are making policies and forcing agendas onto these other nations in the name of good, yet we are hurting people. If they can’t afford to live and have to pay more for energy, they have less money to buy important things such as food, or even to send their kids to higher education to lift the family at of poverty where they may have been there for generations, and may be there for generations to come due to the hardheaded environmentalists and their agenda.

Okay so, one could actually make the claim that the environmentalism can often be just as evil and unfair to mankind, even more so than the accusations against fossil fuels. Environmentalism has been irresponsible, indeed, this has been quite common, as we’ve seen in the recent past. In fact, we’ve seen politicians literally use environmental protection agencies to go after fossil fuels to hurt them in the marketplace and give the advantage to their competitors.

And the when their competitors still can’t perform, these same politicians will offer subsidies, and tax credits, and charge the difference to the tax payer’s they same folks who are already paying through the nose, what kind of an alternative energy future is that? In some regards they are making the alternative energy industry weaker, less competitive, and therefore will see its demise – and mankind will not be better off, he will be worse off, that’s the reality.

Thus, all the way around it’s a bad idea, a bad deal, and the environmentalism …

Ready to Increase Your Gas Mileage?

Maximizing your Fuel Mileage

I’m sure you’ve heard the old story comes along about someone who invented a special carburetor. The story goes; the carburetor would allow any vehicle to get a hundred miles to the gallon.

As nice as thoughts of such a device might be, it is a myth. The reason why is that you have to have a certain amount of energy [fuel,] to move a given weight, at given speed, with based upon the engine that is in the vehicle. This is basic stuff, and you have to think both inside and outside the box to change your fuel economy.

In reality better fuel economy is a factor of many things. Cars are engineered with better and lighter engines, the vehicles are made with lighter materials, and cars are made “slippier” when they have less wind resistance.

When you’re considering the different things you can do to make your car more efficient, there are a few things that come to mind. When desired fuel mileage is not being obtained with a present vehicle, many times a new vehicle is considered as the only remedy. There are no changes that can be made to a vehicle to increase the mileage over that it was designed to deliver. The present vehicle can often deliver considerably better mileage than it currently does, however.

Other tips like keeping tires inflated, switching to an energy conserving engine oil and reducing unnecessary weight also help, but to a much smaller degree. Replacing a dirty air filter is always a good idea, but will not help mileage, just the longevity of a fuel injected vehicle.

Another factor would be to change your driving style, don’t race, and don’t rest your foot on the brake. I hear a lot of people say that they’ll trade their vehicle in, thereby moving from a vehicle that gets 20 MPG to one that gets 30 MPG. Driving 12,000 miles per year and with fuel cost of $4.00 per gallon, the savings is $800.00 per year. Paying $25,000 plus for a new vehicle will require over 31 years to break even, so this factor should not come into play for buying another vehicle.

So if we’re agreed that if you’re driving a non-efficient vehicle, but buying a more fuel efficient vehicle is not the answer, what can you do?

This is where you think outside the box. What are the Japanese working on now? Hybrids. Some of the Hybrids are gas/electric, and one of the prototypes is a pure hydrogen vehicle. Either way you go, buying one of these vehicles would be TENS of thousands of dollar more than a conventional vehicle.

What if you convert YOUR vehicle, yes, that gas guzzler, into a hybrid? That would do three things.

One, maximize the fuel efficiency by using the tips I mentioned.

Two, the satisfaction of beating those guys that are holding the high cost of gas over our heads.

Three, the feeling …

How Are Smart Meters Beneficial to Dual Fuel Customers

The United Kingdom is planning to get smart meters installed in all the homes by 2020. What is so exceptional about them and how are they beneficial to customers?

There have been many countries where they have been successfully installed and these countries have proven that they are not just a facility but a necessity.

Between 2000 and 2005, Enel SpA, a utility major in Italy installed 27 million of them ensuring that its entire customer base was taken care of. These meters since then have proved to be extremely useful. They have proved to be extremely useful in many ways.

They have many facilities like remotely controlling the supply of gas/electricity to the property, automatic information relay to the company, immediate reporting of any outage, detect any unauthorized use of electricity and even change the amount of electricity that a customer demands at any time. They also can be converted from prepayment meters to credit meters with regular bills and vice versa from the remote service location. Any change in the tariff plans also become effective with a remote instruction.

Compare this to the situation where they are not installed. Let us assume a locality in a country has got digital non-smart meters installed. These non-smart meters have to be read regularly so that the bills can be generated on time. This causes excessive work load on meter operators and the utility companies alike. The customers usually expect the meter operators to read the non-smart meters and this misinformation can cause a lot of errors in the bills leading to customer dissatisfaction and extra work being done to rectify the errors caused due to estimation, taken in absence of an actual read.

Also, in the U.K. all those who are unable to pay their gas and electricity bills get a prepayment meter installed at the property if the utility company deems fit. All the debt is transferred on the prepayment meter and every time the customer tops the meter up, an agreed amount is deducted from the top up that goes to settle the debt. This is how a utility company is able to recollect any unpaid bills. To achieve this purpose, the whole meter unit has to be exchanged and this exchange is free of cost for the customers. This is a huge investment for the utility companies.

Smart meters help eliminate all such issues that had to be previously borne by utility companies. This has been successfully proven by the use of these smart meters in Italy. This is why many service providers have found the impetus to get smart meters installed at the consumers’ houses.…

What Are Dual-Fuel Heat Pumps and How Do They Work?

You may have heard of geothermal heat pumps (earth-based pumps) and air source electric heat pumps (electricity-based) but what about dual-fuel heat pumps? These are actually a type of electric heat pump but also combine a gas furnace. The natural limitation of air electric pumps is that they do not perform well in extreme temperatures, like the dead of winter. They extract their heat from the air, and thus in below freezing temperatures, they are limited in their capacity.

That is where the dual-fuel pump comes in. This is an effective way to heat the home, as whenever the air electric pump system does start to wane because of low temperatures, a gas furnace activates and provides a more economic and a more effective form of heat. You are taking advantage of electrical power and gas power to heat your home.

Whenever the temperature is above freezing temperatures the system can easily use electricity to generate heat (or air, if it’s reversible). This type of heat isn’t as warm, but still distributes comfortable heat evenly throughout the living quarters. However, when the air gets extremely cold and below freezing temperatures, the pump starts to switch (automatically in most cases) to supplemental gas power. This makes the system not only affordable but also warmer.

There are definite disadvantages to gas power and electrical power in their own right; when combined the two systems complement each other, giving one the “best of both worlds.” The only potential disadvantage here is the startup cost, much like geothermal pumps. Dual-fuel pumps run upwards of $1,000 sometimes because you are basically buying two systems-in-one.

Nevertheless, if you can afford this expense then it’s best to invest in this technology, because over the long run you will be saving money on a superior and more economical system than electric-based heat pumps alone.

There are a variety of systems to choose from, including manufacturers like Bryant Evolution, Daikin, Friedrich, Fujitsu, Heritage and Sanyo. The most notable differences will be in price as well as whether the model is an inside or outside pump system. Some companies also offer financing on these dual-fuel pumps.

Some products like the Heil PDX4 Packaged Two-Stage Dual Fuel Heat Pump Series offer quiet operation, a two stage system, a direct spark ignition system and a 14 SEER performance level. This is a great way to lower your long-term electrical costs while ensuring a warm winter season.…