Isn’t That Ironic?

Gas prices have reached tremendous heights in the last five years. People around the world are feeling the effects. Commodity prices have gone up, in turn driving up business and living costs.

Since the problem is felt all over the world, so is the movement to find solutions. Much has been written about how people can deal with the high gas prices of today. Most of these articles talk about improving the fuel economy of automobiles. Others provide some advice on how to better plan gas consumption.

It might be a surprise to you, then, that you can actually drive around to deal with high gas prices. It sounds a bit counterproductive, but what matters here is that even your gas consumption becomes part of the solution. Here are the top ten ways of consuming gas in order to deal with high gas prices.

10. Driving to the Nearest Driving School

True, you’ve already earned your license, and have been driving around the city for more than 10 years now. A refresher course in driving, though, can actually help you save on gas because you can relearn the correct way of driving.

Not only is the prescribed manner of driving meant to keep roads safe, but it is also meant improve fuel economy. In the long run, a car that utilizes gasoline efficiently needs less gas.

An important lesson you could (re)learn from driving school is that accelerating too fast or too slow can actually be wasteful. Working with a moderate rate of acceleration actually saves you gas and, in turn, money.

9. Driving to Your Mechanic

Automobiles release less noxious gases if they work more efficiently. A trip to your mechanic for a tune-up ensures that your car’s engine is in tip-top shape. While you’re at the shop, try befriending whoever is set to work on your car. Fostering a personal relationship with the mechanic makes it a lot easier for future problems to be ironed out.

At the same time, you can make it clear to the mechanic that having your car tuned-up is all about dealing with high gas prices. Making your intentions clear, the mechanic might even exert extra effort to work on your car. The immediate cost might be a bit heavy for your finances, but the gains of having your car tuned up will be felt in the long run.

8. Driving to Have Your Tires Checked

Making sure that your tires are adequately inflated is essential to keeping your fuel economy up. After all, the tires grip the road.

Some contend that it is better to inflate tires with nitrogen. Nitrogen is a more stable substance than compressed air. As a result, tires that are inflated using it are supposedly less prone to variations in pressure brought about by changing temperatures.

Nevertheless, many car experts point out that there is no real evidence to suggest nitrogen-filled tires are better than normal tires. Either way, having properly-inflated tires can save you fuel.

7. Driving to the Local Junkyard

Aside from your car’s engine and tires, its weight has an effect on fuel economy. A car that carries less weight exerts less energy in order to run at a certain speed.

You can take all the beer bottles and cinder blocks inside your trunk to the local junk yard and free up some weight. If you’re driving a minivan, you can opt to take out some of the seats.

6. Driving to the Nearest Auto Salesman

Dealing with high gas prices is initially a matter of fuel economy. Some cars are designed to use gasoline or diesel in a more efficient manner than others. In case you’ve discovered that the SUV you own is guzzling too much gas for your own good, take it out for a final spin and head for the nearest auto salesman.

Once there, ask if you can trade in your car for something with better fuel economy. If not, ask for the price of a car that would give you more for your dollars. You could consider getting the newer model of the car you already own, for instance. Often, the newer models are a lot more fuel efficient than the older ones.

Likewise, you can always go for a hybrid, like the Toyota Prius, which uses a combination of electric and combustion technologies to power the car.

5. Driving to Your Coworkers/Schoolmates

Instead of coming to work or school in separate cars, make a point to carpool with your coworkers or schoolmates. Carpools save gas, given that fewer cars go to the same destination. Often, members of carpools gather their resources to pay for the gasoline used.

Also, you can establish a system where the role of the driver rotates among members. For one week, you could be responsible for picking up your coworkers or schoolmates. The next week, your friend could be the one to pick you up.

4. Driving to Have Your Home Energy Audited

You know that cold draft that blows through your house? It’s costing you a lot of money. If your home is heated with natural gas, you are helping to jack up the price of gas, too. A home energy audit can help determine where cold air is getting in and where warm air is escaping. If your house isn’t properly insulated, if your windows are only single-pane glass, or if the weather stripping around your doors isn’t adequate, you will easily be wasting a lot of energy to heat – or cool – your home. Certain appliances may also be wasting a lot of energy, especially if they are old.

While you can do it yourself, there are also companies that can perform these services for you. Check with your local government energy office, search the phone book, or browse online to find reputable companies that can thoroughly inspect your home.

3. Driving to Your Neighborhood Store

After having your home energy audited, you might be advised to replace certain appliances. A trip to your neighborhood hardware or appliance store would be merited.

Consider replacing your light bulbs with energy-saving ones. Though these bulbs are bit more expensive than the normal ones, having these illuminating your home can actually save you a sizable amount of money. At the same time, if any of your appliances were identified to waste much energy, be sure that the replacement bears the Energy Star logo.

2. Driving for Non-Profit Organizations

Dealing with high gas prices doesn’t always have to be done on the personal level. Sometimes, the remedies for the issue require action on a larger scale. Gas prices, after all, are dictated as much by supply and demand as by policies currently in place.

Many lobbyist groups and non-profit organizations are organized for the purpose of addressing the issue head on. Driving to the headquarters of these institutions, you can provide whatever support you can. In fact, if you are tenacious enough, you could actually end up becoming part of these organizations.

1. Driving to Your District’s Legislators

Say you’ve become a significant role player in the movements that address the problem of high gas prices. A drive to the office of your district’s senator or congressman for a meeting is effectively a symbol of your desire to get involved.

A meeting with some local officials and legislators not only illuminates you on the complexities of the issue; it is also an opportunity for you to directly express your opinions on the matter.

Although you may consume gas by attending, you’ve done so with the intention of finding a systematic solution to the problem. In a way, your gas consumption has become instrumental to the search for a solution. Maybe next time you can even carpool, walk, take the bus, or ride your bicycle to the meeting, instead.

Gas Consumption as a Solution

It’s a bit unreasonable to ask people to completely stop using fuel. It might be better to ask people to reduce their gas consumption. Better yet, people should find the ways of consuming gas that can be instrumental to the search for a solution.

Ideas such as carpooling could even be one of the best ways for you to Get Rid Of Global Warming.