Mythbusters is a show on discovery channel where common myths are put to the test and tested to see whether they are true or false. Many different scientific methods are used to go about and confirm or bust the myth.
Some of the myths that have been put to the test have to do with energy/fuel efficiency, which can help you save more money:
Through various tests, the Mythbusters showed that turning on a light only consumes power equivalent to leaving on the light for a fraction of a second. Also, it is important to note that constantly turning the lights on and off does not reduce its life expectancy enough to compensate for the increased electricity usage. Answer: Turning your light OFF saves more money than leaving it on. Many people wonder if they are able to save more money by having the windows down while driving, and by turning the air conditioner off. The mythbusters tackled this myth in two episodes and reached the conclusion that… Answer: When driving at a speed that is less than 50 mph, it is more efficient to leave your windows down. However, if the speed is over 50 mph, the drag is increased, and therefore, it is more efficient to leave the air conditioner on. To test this myth, the mythbusters took two approaches. First, they literally drove a car - once with the tailgate up and once with it down - to see which one would run out of gas first. Second, they used a calibrated fuel flow gauge to test the most efficient tailgate setup Answer: Driving with the tailgate up proved to be most efficient. When the tailgate was down, it increased the drag of the car, which made it consume fuel faster than the same truck with the tailgate up. Furthermore, they showed that a plastic mesh tailgate is more efficient than a standard metal mesh tailgate.
1. Is leaving a light on temporarily more energy efficient than turning it off and back on?
2. Is driving a car with air conditioning on more fuel efficient than driving with the windows down?
3. Is it more fuel efficient to drive your pick up truck with its tailgate down, rather than up?
Recap:
1. When leaving the house for a short while, you will save more money on your bill if you turn off the light, rather than leave it on.
2. Driving with the window down saves more fuel when the speed is less than 50mph. However, at higher speeds, it is smarter to leave the windows closed and turn on the A/C
3. If driving with a truck, you will save more gas when the tailgate is up. Furthermore, a plastic mesh tailgate will save more gas (and money) than a metal one.
Coming up tomorrow: Safety tips that we can learn from Mythbusters, including what to do if you drove your car underwater, curing seasickness, whether driving while talking on the cell phone is comparable to driving while drunk, and more. Subscribe via RSS to be informed.
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