How to Save Petrol and Money: Nigel's Top Tips for Eco Friendly Greener Driving

According to the EU, driving accounts for around 12 per cent of CO2 greenhouse emissions. As with everything else, cutting down on car journeys can help to slow down climate change - but when you do need to there's a way to drive in a more eco friendly and green way. No, I haven't come across a fantastically cheap and emissions free source of petrol. I'm referring to hypermiling.

Hypermiling is a way to squeeze the maximum MPG out of a tank of petrol. There's been a lot written about it, and having tried it, it's a technique that makes it possible to radically increase the mpg of your car, saving a fortune in petrol and emissions in the process.

To do this, you really have to focus on how you drive. It takes a bit of practice - here's some tips:

Accelerate slowly

Avoid having to slam on the brakes by anticipating traffic and red lights.

Keep your revs low; change up when you don't need the extra power

Keep below the speed limit on motorways.

Switch off your engine if you think you're going to be stopped in traffic for more than about 10-15 seconds.

Make sure the tyres are at the optimum pressure.

Get rid of any unnecessary weight – so take that rubbish out of the boot!

Coast, if it's safe to, down hills and up to red lights by putting your foot on the clutch and letting the engine's revs drop.

Don't use air-conditioning. Luckily we've had a perfect summer for that one!

Take off the roof bars and the top box off. Admit it. That box has been empty for weeks, hasn't it?

All of which makes a lot of sense. Keeping one eye on the revs, or seeing how far the car coasts makes moving a car from A to B at least slightly more entertaining, and who wouldn't want to save money on petrol?

Here's a more complete list of hypermiling tips.

The irony is that some hypermilers already have acquired a reputation for being dangerously competitive about the whole thing by adopting extreme hypermiling techniques Look out for the forums where people boast how low their MPG is; it's kind of like a mirror image version of boy racers.

Of course if you mix boys with cars - even in the cause of a greener future - it's going to get competitive. For some it's an obsession. There's even a word for it: Nempimania, derived from the Japanese word for "fuel economy".

Trust the makers of the Prius to have such a sopisticated vocabulary.

Green Car Insurance
If you're interested in driving greener, you could also consider eco friendly car insurance:

The Green Insurance Company offset 100% of your car's annual emissions at no extra cost

The Co-Op Car Insurance offsets 20% of your car's CO2 emissions and have an ethical engagement policy - save 10% when you apply on line.

Energy Saving
Meanwhile, if you're looking for ways to save money and energy in the home, we have some great products in our energy saving range, including standby busters, a cooking gas saver, radiator booster and more.

I hope this is helpful!

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