By Staff
In these tough economic times even small savings add up. In that vein, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has given Michigan residents a new website feature to help them save money.
Tips such as these are important not only to save individuals money, but also help protect our resources. We support efforts by consumers to adopt some of these tips, which safe money and also lives.
The feature – www.michigan.gov/savemoney – is one way the governor hopes to help consumers.
The website gives information on ways to save money on gas by adopting alternative forms of transportation and suggested driving tips.
The site includes a variety of tips from how to stretch your gas dollar, to finding the best deal on gas in your neighborhood, to finding car pool and local public bus systems information.
You can even calculate your commuting costs.
These tips will help those who are looking to save driving costs, improve gas mileage and extend the life of their vehicle:
Keep your engine tuned, maintain tires at the correct pressure, change the air filter regularly, and use energy-saving motor oil.
Avoid aggressive driving such as rapid acceleration and braking. It can lower fuel cost up to 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town. This can save as much as 49 cents per gallon.
Watch your speed – high speed creates more wind resistance. Driving faster than 60 miles-per-hour can cost an additional 30 cents per gallon for every 5 miles per hour increase.
Be aware that running electric accessories like air conditioners can also reduce fuel economy by 5 to 25 percent.
The new feature also provides information on how citizens can save money in the home, on education, and on health care.