Why is idling a problem?

It produces unnecessary pollution that contributes to climate change, smog and health problems. It wastes fuel and contrary to popular belief, it is not good for your vehicle engine. Most Canadians idle at least 5-10 minutes a day, which produces emissions of carbon dioxide and jeopardizes everyone’s health

If every driver of a light-duty vehicle (cars, vans, SUV’s, etc.) avoided idling for just five minutes, that would equate to a savings of 1.9 million litres of fuel and at today’s prices of $1.35/litre, that equals over $2.5 million dollars!

This practice would also prevent more than 4500 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. It is a common myth that idling is an effective way to warm up one’s vehicle, when in fact; the best way to warm it up is to simply drive it.

Most people don’t know that excessive idling can damage your engine components, which eventually leads to more money spent on your next service visit, nor do they know that more than 10 seconds of idling actually uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

So what should one do to reduce costs, emissions and wear and tear?

- Reduce warm up idling to 30 seconds, even when using your remote starter
- If you’re going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds, turn off your engine
- In temperatures below zero, use a block heater to warm your engine before you start it

For more information, visit the Idle-Free Zone at http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/idling/idling.cfm.

Karen J. Williams is a Sales and Leasing Consultant with Okanagan Chrysler Jeep Dodge. You can reach her at (250) 861-1040 or email at karenw@okanagandodge.com

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