Find out how one contractor has benefitted from going green—follow his example to reduce fuel costs.
Greening your fleet can be easier and more cost-effective than most think. GH Phipps, based in Denver, Colo., is an employee-owned full-service construction manager and general contractor. The company embraced green construction practices nearly 20 years ago and is credited with building the first LEED certified hospital in the United States.
Today, the company has 27 LEED-accredited professionals on staff and has spearheaded LEED initiatives on a variety of projects, including university science facilities and laboratories, hospitals and the Denver Botanic Garden. The company also opened its own Silver-LEED corporate office facility about three and a half years ago.
According to Kevin Barden, vice president of operations for GH Phipps, ensuring environmental sustainability is “just the right thing to do,” and it underscores every aspect of their business.
“A good example is our fleet of 88 vehicles,” says Barden, who works with a team of fleet management professionals at Enterprise Fleet Management, a fleet management company for businesses with medium-size fleets. “We have reduced our carbon footprint by switching to smaller, more fuel efficient pickups and SUVs; scheduling regular vehicle maintenance; and continuously monitoring fuel efficiency for every vehicle in the fleet in addition to replacing vehicles at appropriate intervals every three to four years to achieve optimum vehicle performance and resale value, known as cycling.”
The company has also reduced mileage for vehicles that serve customers in remote areas by establishing a remote staging area for equipment, materials and tools, and they have implemented a regular delivery schedule from the central office. This improves efficiency and eliminates multiple trips.
While the company has saved on both fuel and maintenance costs, Barden says the most important benefit is to the environment.
12 Ways to Reduce Costs
To help businesses with medium-sized fleets better manage vehicle emissions, certain fleet management companies offer programs that can reduce the “carbon footprint” of cars, light- and medium-duty trucks and service vehicles.
In addition to using these programs, you can have your employees perform some simple tasks that will make a big difference. Saving a few gallons of gas each week can add up to substantial savings at the end of the year when multiplied by the number of vehicles in a company’s fleet.
1. Select the right size vehicles. Selecting vehicles according to the specific function needed can help reduce overall costs and vehicle emissions.
2. Perform routine maintenance. Proper vehicle maintenance can help reduce fuel consumption. This means not only maintaining recommended tire pressure, checking wheel alignment and getting regular oil changes, but also avoiding the temptation to overload a truck, which can result in poor performance, expensive repairs, frequent downtime and reduced fuel efficiency.
3. Lighten your load. The more weight a vehicle carries, the lower its fuel economy. This is especially true for light-duty trucks, which can feature the same space dimensions but vary significantly in gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), towing or payload capacity. In addition to poor mileage, a vehicle that is regularly overloaded will have poor mileage, and the frequency and repair costs for axle bearings, tires, brakes and other driveline and suspension components will cost much more than the money saved from purchasing a less expensive lighter truck.
4. Reduce speed, and keep RPMs down. Smooth, steady acceleration from a stop uses fuel more efficiently than quick “jackrabbit starts.” Drivers can also increase fuel efficiency by shifting to higher gears at the lowest practical speed for a standard transmission and accelerating gently with an automatic transmission. Revving the engine and excessive idling can also significantly lower gas mileage.
5. Keep tires properly inflated. Under-inflated tires create more rolling resistance on the road, which decreases gas mileage and shortens tire life due to improper wear. Because tire pressure changes with the temperature, the pressure should be checked and adjusted when the tire is cold and the vehicle has been sitting for a few hours.
6. Check wheel alignment periodically. Misalignment can be caused by potholes, curbs and bumps, worn steering or suspension components and deterioration from old suspension parts. Not only does misalignment increase rolling resistance and reduce fuel efficiency, but it also causes additional wear on tires. Wheel alignment should be checked every 12,000 miles or once a year (whichever comes first).
7. Select the right engine oil. Using the correct oil viscosity is important because higher viscosity oils create greater resistance to the engine’s moving parts and require more gas. Changing the oil every 6,000 miles or longer depending on manufacturer's recommendations is not only a good maintenance policy, but it also improves fuel efficiency.
8. Keep engines tuned. A tune-up can increase fuel economy. Follow the guidelines provided in the owner’s manual. Check for worn spark plugs, dragging brakes and low transmission fluid. Also, have the wheels aligned and tires rotated, and replace the air filter if needed.
9. Use the right fuel. Most cars do not need premium fuel, although some vehicles do call for higher-octane gas to maximize performance and fuel efficiency. Check the owner’s manual when choosing which grade of gasoline to use, and do not spend extra on a premium grade if it is not specified. For flexible-fuel vehicles, take a few minutes to locate E85 fueling stations in your vicinity by visiting www.e85refueling.com. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using E85 can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent.
10. Avoid topping off. Drivers often top off their tank beyond the gas pump’s automatic cutoff point to get an even total or to squeeze in as much fuel as possible. But that extra squeeze can lead to spills and release gas vapors into the air. This wastes money, pollutes the air and can even aggravate smog in bigger cities.
11. Cool off wisely. A common mistake drivers make in warm weather is turning off the air conditioning and rolling down their windows to save gas. Rolling the windows down in lieu of the AC can increase fuel economy at slower speeds, but at faster highway speeds, open windows can actually increase drag and hurt fuel economy.
12. Replace older, less fuel-efficient vehicles at appropriate intervals. Use cycling, a systematic process known in the fleet management industry, to know when you should dispose of older vehicles. Cycling is determined by the time of year, mileage, vehicle type, and age and maintenance issues. A cycling program can also help a company achieve optimum performance and the best resale value.
Construction Business Owner, October 2011
