Daytime Running Lights Use Gas!

It's true.

Unnecessary technology in automobiles hurts fuel economy greatly!!!

Just like running your A/C, other electronic devices pull hard on your car's alternator.  Thus, reducing your car's overall miles per gallon.

I have made a hobby out of improving my car's efficiency by eliminating some of these would-be leaches of power.  For instance, Daytime Running Lights.  While required in some areas, many view them as only necessary during near-dark conditions.  To respond to the requirement, many auto manufacturers have made their cars and trucks to utilize them constantly while they're running.  Daytime running lights can use up to 2% of your overall fuel economy.  Keep in mind, the fact that they aren't always necessary or an addition to safety.

I live in Florida, one of the sunniest places in the US.  I rarely drive at night and thus was in a pickle about DRLs.  Because my volkswagen was programmed to run them constantly, I did some in-dash tweaking to my car and saw a gain of nearly 1/2 a mile per gallon!!!

According to a research study, if every car in America shut off their DRLs, millions of gallons of gas would be saved.

Check out this article: 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy/drl-gas-consumption.htm

Windows as a source of environmental and monetary woes.

Windows as a source of environmental and monetary woes.

I am not a homeowner.  I am a renter.  However, I know the benefits of living in a home that is energy efficient by means of structural soundness.  In this case, I'm talking about windows.

Re-caulk all your windows.  Not only are caulking guns useful for just about every room in the house, you will more than likely only buy one in your lifetime.  Not good for the environment?  Not so fast, they make an entire line of environmentally-friendly caulking product.

Here. 

Windows are a source of concern over A/C usage.  The more curtainage you have, the better.  It's ok to have dark colors on the inside, but the curtains nearest to the window DEFINITELY should be white or off white at least.  this will certainly help to block out the hot rays of the sun and help to keep heat in during the colder times. 

Another good window trick is to buy some tinting.  This is easily applied and quite effective at blocking A/C killing sun rays!!!

If you can afford to, but new energy efficient windows.

I'll be hitting this subject more in the formative days.

Green Living on Answers

I recently discovered that Answers.Yahoo.com has an excellent Green living forum open to a really neat Q & A format.  Users are able to ask questions about the environment and green living as well as hundreds of other topics.

The possibilities are endless!!!  I have rarely encountered the same question more than once.  Excellent learning tool.

Check it out here.