Travelling and vehicles
Most families will spend about the same amount of money on fuel for their vehicles as they do on energy for their home. [1] One of the single biggest things you can do to reduce your personal carbon emissions is drive your car less.
Reducing your vehicle use
Transport accounts for roughly 20% of our total greenhouse gas emissions [2], reducing the amount of fossil fuels we use to get around saves us money and works for the planet too. Switching to public transport, walking or cycling instead of taking short car journeys, all make a difference.
Driving less is obviously the best way to reduce our fuel bills and emissions. But if it's just not practical to leave the car at home, there are still things you can do to make a big difference. Choosing a fuel-efficient car, thinking about the way you drive it, and using sustainable biofuels when you can, will save money on your fuel bill and reduce your emissions.
In this section:
- Driving efficiently and saving on your fuel bill
- Buying a vehicle
- New technologies in transport
- AA ENERGYWISE™ Rally
Notes:
[1] Statistics New Zealand, Household Expenditure Survey Table Builder. 2007 (online).
[2] Ministry for the Environment, 2008, The New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2006. Wellington: Ministry for the Environment.
