California Center for Sustainable Energy

Cox San Diego Achieves High Level of Fleet Fuel Savings

With more than 700 vehicles in San Diego County driving some 6 million miles each year, Cox San Diego has implemented a number of fleet fuel-saving initiatives to reduce the number of miles they log and improve fuel mileage. Their goals are to save money, use less fossil fuel and help reduce air pollution by taking some simple steps and changing driving habits as part of their Cox Conserves program.

One thing Cox fleet officials found was that the importance of proper tire pressure shouldn’t be downplayed. They ran tests to verify the benefit of routinely checking and adjusting tire pressure. The results showed an increase of .6 MPG in sample vehicles, and in applying this across their fleet, project an annual savings of 32,800 gallons of fuel. Cox Arizona recently started using nitrogen in their tires to help keep them cooler and inflated longer, and Cox San Diego is currently researching this practice.

Other Cox San Diego fleet operations that are producing significant fuel savings are dispatching their technicians in ever tighter routes, monitoring vehicles for speeding and reducing unnecessary idle time. They estimate they have reduced fleet and personal vehicle mileage by some one million miles over the past seven years by having many of their field employees start from home and work in nearby locations. The San Diego Cox Conserves program also focuses on energy savings, recycling, water conservation and education.

“We can see that simple changes can make a big difference, but none of this is possible without the commitment of our people,” said Bud Stewart, Cox San Diego fleet manager. “Habits don’t change without a commitment to change and that is the greatest legacy of this process.”

Green Gadgets for Energy Savings

If you're looking for unique ways to save energy this summer, check out Flex Your Power's e-newsletter featuring some innovative, sustainable gadgets and electronic gizmos.
You will find smart power strips, solar-powered laptops, pocket-sized solar chargers, green cell phones, toys powered by play (kinetic energy) and more. There’s no lack of green gadgets to explore, but as you shop for the most sustainable options, remember that sometimes the greenest gadget is, well, no gadget at all.

According to the International Energy Agency, the increasing acquisition of electronic devices means that gadgets may demand another 280 gigawatts of power generation by 2030 – roughly equivalent to adding another Japan to the world’s energy needs. So keep conservation in mind when you plug in electronics, and always remember to flip the switch off when you leave the room.

Continue reading August's newsletter.