Fourth in a five-part series

BY MATT DIFILIPPO

Staff Writer

You're driving down the road and you see two gas stations up ahead. One is selling gas for $3.55 per gallon. The other, 5 cents cheaper. Which one do you pick?

It's not a trick question. Of course, you'll pick the cheaper one. If you add 10 gallons to your tank, you'll save 50 cents.

Fifty cents a tank can add up, but it's still a savings of 1.4 percent -- and there are many other things you can do while driving to save much more.

For example, if you drive 60 mph rather than 65, you use 7 percent less gas. If you drive with a "soft foot," that is, avoid quick starts and stops and accelerate and slow down smoothly, you potentially can cut your fuel use in half.

Those figures come from the Maine Office of Energy Independence & Security and the Maine Department of Transportation. They provide a list of 21 tips for getting the most out of your gas. They seem like obvious tips, but many people don't know about them or don't want make the effort to change how they drive.

Melissa Morrill, an environmental specialist with the mobile sources section of the Bureau of Air Quality, admits that it's hard for people to begin driving slower after driving a certain way for many years.

"Let's face it, when you want to get from point A to point B, you go over the speed limit by a few miles per hour," Morrill said. "Then you have someone who's in a bigger hurry than you are, two feet off your bumper. It's a decision that you have to make: I'm going to slow down."

Idling also wastes gas -- up to a gallon an hour. If you're idling at the drive-thru for five minutes, that can cost 30 cents, which wastes most of what you saved by getting cheaper gas when you filled up. Morrill recommends parking your car and going inside to order your fast food.

"If you feel like you have to go through the drive-thru, turn off your vehicle when you stop," Morrill said. "A lot of people think it uses more gas to turn off your vehicle and turn it on again, but it doesn't."

Then there's the most fuel-saving solution of all -- not driving as often.

One way to do that is through carpools and vanpools, which are run by the GO MAINE program. GO MAINE is managed by the Greater Portland Council of Governments, and has seen a recent spike in usage.

"The GO MAINE program goes back to the mid-'90s," said Neal Allen, executive director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments. "It's become increasingly popular since gas prices escalated over the last few months."

The vanpools program has become so popular that of the 17 van routes listed on the GO MAINE Web site (http://www.gomaine.org), 15 of them are full.

"There are significant requests for more vanpools throughout the state," Allen said. "The hope is that we can add a number of additional vans in the next two or three months."

How much can you save with the vanpool? Let's say you live in Augusta but work in downtown Portland. Round trip, that's about 120 miles, plus $1.20 a day for tolls. GO MAINE estimates traveling costs of more than $5,000 per year. A seat on that vanpool would cost $135 per month -- a savings of about $3,500 per year, not including parking.

GO MAINE has also instituted a carpool system in which commuters are matched up with people traveling similar routes. There is also a provision where GO MAINE guarantees a free ride home (up to twice a month or eight times per year) if a regular user of the carpool plan has to leave work early or late because of events like a family emergency or unexpected overtime.

Allen said about 7,000 people are using this "ride match" program. He thinks the number of people using both programs will keep rising.

"I think the days of relatively inexpensive gasoline are over," he said.

Another way to save money on driving is to know when to use the air conditioning. According to the list of 21 tips, a car will use about 20 percent more gas if the air conditioner is running.

However, the tip sheet suggests using air conditioning at speeds above 40 mph, because open windows affect wind resistance.

Roof racks also increase wind resistance and lower your gas mileage.

Other tips from the list: Clear all the snow and ice off your car (it adds weight), keep your tires properly inflated, change the oil frequently and keep an eye on the air filter.

"They seem so simple, but it's a conscious decision that we have to make," Morrill said. "Most of this stuff is pure common sense."

Matt DiFilippo -- 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com