SmartEnergyViews

AAA is advising hypermilers to think of safety first and avoid hypermiling techniques that are dangerous to themselves and others and that might damage their vehicles.

"The goals of hypermiling are positive, such as eliminating aggressive driving and saving energy," said Marshall L. Doney, AAA Automotive vice president. "Unfortunately some motorists have taken their desire to improve fuel economy to extremes with techniques that put themselves, as well as their fellow motorists, in danger."

Examples of the dangerous hypermiling techniques include cutting off the vehicle's engine or putting it in neutral to coast on a roadway, tailgating or drafting larger vehicles, rolling through stop signs and driving at erratic and unsafe speeds. "These practices can put motorists in a treacherous situation where they could lose power steering and brakes or be unable to react to quickly changing traffic conditions," Doney said.

"Not only are these extreme driving behaviors dangerous, many of them also are illegal. However, there are several safe and legal driving techniques motorists can implement to conserve fuel, such as smooth and easy acceleration and braking, maintaining a steady speed, using cruise control and looking ahead to anticipate changing traffic conditions," he said.

Proper vehicle maintenance is also key to optimal fuel economy, but extreme measures can be harmful to a vehicle.

Keeping tires properly inflated can improve fuel economy by two to three percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. However, some drivers have taken this advice too far by over-inflating their tires, which the Rubber Manufacturers Association reports can make them more susceptible to road hazard damage and result in premature wear to the center portion of the tread. Over-inflation can also cause handling issues due to less tire surface making contact with the road.

Some hypermilers also opt to use the lowest 'weight' motor oil (or that with the lowest kinematic viscosity) on the market. However, motor oil is not a fluid that can be freely interchanged and using too light of oil can cause major damage to a vehicle's engine.

In both instances, AAA's auto maintenance experts recommend checking the owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommendations. Tires should only be inflated to the pressures specified by the vehicle manufacturer -- and not what is listed on the sidewall of the tire. Motorists also should use the lowest grade motor oil recommended by the manufacturer for their climate.

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.)

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.

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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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!