Here in Australia, the major supermarkets offer a 4¢/ litre discount scheme when you spend $30 or more in-store.

Consumer magazine Choice, recently calculated that these vouchers save the average family just $1.30 a week, which by my reckoning, is roughly 7 – 20 kms of driving for most people (dependent on vehicle, driving style and fuel cost per litre of course). Big Deal!

So if your fuel bill is getting as expensive as it may have in recent times, try these 8 easy ways to help you save just as much, if not more:

Pump up the volume. Keeping your tyres properly inflated reduces the friction occurring between road and rubber; this in turn means less energy is required. Less energy means lower fuel consumption. Result: more money in your pocket. (You may need to experiment a little to find a comfortable ride, but please remember not to exceed the maximum inflation limit marked on the side of the tyre!)

Strip! Many cars today come with roof racks, but if you don’t use ‘em, lose ‘em. The designers of your car spent many hours in a wind tunnel aiming for the lowest drag possible. There’s a good chance that roof racks were not part of that testing.

Be The Biggest Loser. More weight to carry = more energy needed. Get rid of the Toolbox / Camping gear / Dead body.

Cruisin’ Control. If your car came with cruise control – use it. Not only is it much more efficient at managing fuel usage than your right foot, it also makes driving long distances sooo much nicer.

Are You Conditioned? Those crazy lads over at MythBusters did a now legendary experiment of fuel efficiency, aerodynamics and air conditioning. They found that it was more fuel efficient to have your windows wound down at speeds up to about 80km/h. Sustained periods over this speed produced better efficiency with the A/C on due to the extra wind resistance caused by the open windows.

Pimp Your Ride. Getting your car serviced can be a costly experience; I know I’ve walked out of some workshops with a painful look on my face in my time. But keeping your car serviced means less general wear and tear, which comes back to the less energy used department.

Be Cool. I live in an area generally noted as having some of the worst drivers in the land; sometimes you wonder if people switch on video game mode before getting into their cars. But that’s my issue to deal with – yours is not to drive like you’re Lewis Hamilton. Racing at full speed with right foot planted, especially between traffic lights, is going to use a lot more fuel than coasting over the line just as the light turns green, giving you an uber-cool energy saving rolling start.

Switch Off. Off course, the best way to save fuel is not to use any in the first place. If you can walk, run, skate, bike, bus or train it to where you need to go, that’s your best money saver right there.

These tips (and many others) form the urban science known as Hypermiling. Founded in the US, it is a collection of methods aimed at maximising fuel economy.

While the tips listed above are fairly basic, some extreme methods, including bodywork modifications and drafting behind trucks are also used. I don’t recommend the latter, and frankly, if you’re up for the former, you may need professional help.

Photo: NathanFromDeVryEET

Mobile phone provider 3 has started an initiative to get its customers to switch to their eBilling feature. Currently at some $40,000 they’ll donate $1,000 for every 1% of their customer base that signs up. If you’re a 3 customer, you’ll need to register at their online portal, My3, to get your bill emailed to you in PDF format every month. The good news is that if you sign up, 3 will also knock the $2 monthly paper bill surcharge off your account.

I’m a keen advocate of paperless billing, and have been using this service for a few months now. I’m happy to say it doesn’t take long to adjust to not receiving a paper bill, and the email is much easier to file!

For more information, head over to http://www.three.com.au/ebilling

Greening Australia – http://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/

(Know of any other companies offering similar services? Please let us know via the contact form and we’ll post an update.)