SmartEnergyViews

Of course the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are the MPG kings, but there are plenty of cars that get great mileage.

In fact, of the top 10 most fuel efficient vehicles (with duplicate models eliminated), five are non-hybrid standard models and all get a combined 29 MPG or more.

Here's a list from the EPA database of every make/model that gets 25MPG or more. Buy one used and save even more!

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If you purchase a hybrid vehicle this year (2008), make sure to check on available federal tax credit incentives.

Here's the current IRS hybrid tax credit schedule for 2008 models.

Here's the IRS hybrid tax credit program summary.

Tax credits for Toyota models (Prius, Camry, Highlander, and Lexus models) have phased out because sales have exceeded their quotas.

Tax credits are still available for the following 2008 vehicles: Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and Tahoe Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, GMC Yukon Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid (reduced 7/1, phased out 12/31), Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Saturn Aura Hybrid and Vue Green Line. Some new 2007 vehicles are also eligible.

Currently, the highest credit is $3000 for the Ford Escape Hybrid along with the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner versions.

Note that you are not eligible for the hybrid tax credit if you are subject to AMT, and even if you don't pay the AMT your credit amount can be reduced by the AMT calculation and other credits. Here's the 2007 tax year credit form (PDF) with instructions.

Use this handy MSN gas price directory to find the cheapest gas in your zip code. (My only complaint is that it doesn't indicate if the gas is 10% ethanol.)

Customers of TXU Energy (a Texas utility company) can get a free iThermostat that hooks up to the internet.

It's similar to programmable thermostats that let you have different settings for the days of the week and times of the day, except it communicates wirelessly with a bridge device connected to your home network so you can program it from anywhere.

Details here.

Got our first full-month utility bill since installing our new energy efficient front loading washer/dryer.

As compared to the same period last year, it appears we may have reduced total water consumption by about 21%. Water is so cheap it isn't much in terms of cost savings, but every little bit helps in a drought.

It looks like we may have reduced our electricity usage some, too, possibly owing to less drying time. Compared to the previous month it's about a 13% reduction, but it's hard to compare month to month (average temperature, holiday cooking, etc.)

But the really good news is that CFLs, energy efficient washer/dryer, and other conservation measures have reduced our electricity consumption by 31% as compared to the same period last year. Last year's average temperatures during that period were 50.6 (high) and 31.7 (low), compared to 46.9 and 27.1 for this year, so the savings may actually be higher.

There's more stuff we can do to conserve, though, so we'll keep chipping away at it.

We purchased our 2007 Prius on March 31st of 2007, and it rolled over 10,000 miles sometime during the last weekend of December on a trip to Memphis (trip avg. 52.1 MPG, 95% highway driving).

We have been getting a fairly consistent overall average of about 50 MPG, a little less in the summer (~48 MPG) with the AC running (or when the leadfoot Mrs. is driving) and a little more in mild weather. By my calculations, we have saved approx. $700 in fuel costs.

The only other cost has been the regular 5000 mile service, which was about $90. The only problem we've had (knock on wood) was a power door lock that jammed. Toyota replaced it under warranty at no charge.

So far we love it. Toyota sold 181,221 Prius hybrids in 2007, up 69% over 2006.

LED Christmas lights save money and energy. We got some. They have strings of 50 at K-Mart on sale for $6.99. They also have them at Home Depot, Lowes and Target.

They look great, and use less than 5 watts per string as compared to about 25 watts for a string of 50 mini lights or 350 watts for a string of 50 traditional C9 lights.

Parts of this won't apply to everybody, but we found that insulating our pipes under the crawl space (and setting the timer on our hot water recirculating pump) resulted in savings.

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Just got our first full month electric bill since switching out our most frequently used light bulbs with CFLs (6 bulbs).

Along with other conservation measures, it looks like we had about a 15% savings compared to the same period last year, which for us works out to about $26 for a 30 day billing period at the current rates.

So basically, the CFLs have already paid for themselves (which doesn't seem possible, but there you go). Our savings may be higher because we work mostly from home so we are here 7X24 so our lights are on longer. Your mileage may vary.

It should also be noted that the average daily high temperature for June 2007 was about 2 degrees higher (88.5) as compared to June 2006 (86.6), so it's likely we ran the AC a little more this year than last.

We've been looking in to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) to reduce energy consumption for lighting. Here's what we've learned so far.

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Edmunds: We Test the Tips

By changing your driving habits you can improve fuel economy up to 37 percent right away (depending on how you drive). Combine several tips and perform routine maintenance and you will save real dollars, not just pennies.

Edmunds tests gas savings tips to find out what works and what doesn't. This article lists the top six that will save you gas and money. The good news: you don't have to turn off your AC!