Pain At The Pump: Gas Prices Continue To Rise

April 3, 2011

Gas prices across the North Escambia area have jumped 20 cents per gallon over the last month — an increase of  80 cents per gallon over this time last year.

The average price of a gallon of standard-grade gasoline in Escambia County was $3.64 on Saturday, up 19 cents per gallon in the past week. That is also increase of 20 cents a gallon from the month-ago price of $3.44, according to the daily price survey published by AAA. The same gallon of gas was $2.84 a year ago.

Analysts, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Information Administration expect prices will continue to rise through the summer. Crude oil is at about $105 per barrel compared to the last year when it sold at $82 per barrel.

The highest-ever average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Escambia County was $4.05 in July of 2008.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office on Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy offers several fuel-savings tips, some of which include:

  • Avoid aggressive driving. Speeding, rapid acceleration and excessive braking can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway and by 5 percent around town.
  • Remove excess weight.  Avoid carrying unnecessary and heavy items in your trunk. An extra 100 pounds can reduce your mpg by up to 2 percent.
  • Don’t idle. Idling wastes gas and pollutes the environment. Consider staggering your work hours to avoid rush-hour traffic times or telecommute if possible.
  • Use cruise control and overdrive gears. While on the highway, maintaining a constant speed, in most cases, will save gas. Plus, using overdrive gears allows your vehicle’s engine speed to go down, which saves gas and reduces engine wear.
  • Get a tune-up. A properly tuned vehicle can improve gas mileage by an average of 4 percent.
  • Keep tires properly inflated:  By keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure, you can improve gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 3 percent for every one-pound drop in pressure of all four tires.
  • Use the proper oil grade. You can improve gas mileage by 1-to-2 percent by using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil.

Pictured. At $3.66 per gallon of regular unleaded, this Tom Thumb in Cantonment was one of the cheapest stations in the North Escambia area on Saturday. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.


Comments

17 Responses to “Pain At The Pump: Gas Prices Continue To Rise”

  1. SouthernGirl29 on April 5th, 2011 5:24 pm

    We have been out of Century for just over two years. We miss it! We live in Alaska now. Gas just topped $4.07 a gallon for 87. We make our trips count. It’s suppose to go over $5.00 a gallon by summer. I miss the south.

  2. David Huie Green on April 4th, 2011 5:35 pm

    REGARDING:
    “I didn’t know that we now have a way to determine the sex of a child before conception. How do people limit their children to only males? (Don’t want to think of the only alternative that I’m aware of). Males determine the sex of a child, but I don’t think before it is actually conceived”

    Actually, they do. Sperm with Y chromosome outswim those with X chromosome, so it is possible to separate out the boys from the girls ere conception. Only let the Y group fertilize the ovum.

    Not that they do; they simply kill those who would have been girls had they been born.

    David speaking plainly

  3. oldfogey on April 4th, 2011 12:58 pm

    I think Obama only promised “change”. Looks like we got it. By the way, why aren’t we “harvesting” all of this Florida sunshine for vehicles?

  4. Thoughtful on April 4th, 2011 12:56 pm

    America…the freedom to drive the vehicle we want…and the freedom to gripe about the price of fuel that goes into that vehicle. Isn’t our country grand?!

  5. MolinoGurl* on April 4th, 2011 12:08 pm

    I thought President Obama was supposed to help us all and make good changes?
    Things have gotten worse, not better. . . Hmmm :/

  6. Just wondering on April 4th, 2011 10:12 am

    To David Huie:
    I didn’t know that we now have a way to determine the sex of a child before conception. How do people limit their children to only males? (Don’t want to think of the only alternative that I’m aware of). Males determine the sex of a child, but I don’t think before it is actually conceived.
    Birth control….and now it seems should be given to girls and boys from the age of 10 and up….sad, but can’t think of another good alternative. Well, there is abstainance, but that doesn’t seem too popular this day & time.

  7. James Broel on April 4th, 2011 10:11 am

    It is unrealistic to think if gas prices go down the economy will improve. The prices are also based on supply and demand. I bet where gas is high in other nations of the world you don’t see nearly as many gas guzzling cars as you do here. Larger cars demand more gas….get a car like mine that gets 36 mpg. I have little sympathy for those that drive monster vehicles who groan at the price of gas when the car they drive increases the demand for fuel making the price go up.

  8. Rob O on April 4th, 2011 8:55 am

    Bring the gas prices back down to sub $3.00 and the economy would rebound. All the money people were spending on houses and items, has been re-directed to the gas expense.

    How is this so hard for the government experts to figure out?

    Point to ponder: If you get a chance to ask a politician a question, ask them how much a gallon of milk cost. This will allow you to see if they are detached from real people.

  9. David Huie Green on April 4th, 2011 5:46 am

    REGARDING:
    “the fuel prices have been artificially low for some time.
    The rest of the world has paid between 8 and 11 USD for a gallon for some time,,,,”

    Or, seeing it another way, the rest of the world’s prices were artificially high since the reason for the much higher prices was much higher taxes and all taxes are artificial, by definition.

    David considering viewpoints

  10. Name (required) on April 3rd, 2011 9:24 pm

    I know it is not a popular position….. but the fuel prices have been artifically low for some time.

    The rest of the world has paid between 8 and 11 USD for a gallon for some time,,,,

    We have been buying (and driving)larger and larger cars and trucks. This was not a wise policy,

    We are all going to suffer the consequence of our use… our children will as well.

  11. David Huie Green on April 3rd, 2011 5:58 pm

    REGARDING:
    “I read you loud and clear, buddy. forget those yahoos, we have 2 billion, I repeat 2 billion more mouths to feed on this planet in 50 years or so. that is a conservative projection.”

    There may not be that many more people on the planet. In fact, there could be fewer people than there are now.

    China is limiting itself to one child per two people. If they maintained that practice, when those two died of old age, the population would be half what it is, more or less. Further, many are limiting their children to only males, so there are fewer females to bear children, this could lead to a vast reduction in fertility in China and India.

    And then there’s the fact that more and more bacteria are resistant to all known antibiotics and that people are crowding closer and closer and people are pushing for public transportation where they will all ride together every day. This increases the chance of transmission of killer bugs. There’s a good chance we will all be wiped out by some evolving staph or other infection, leaving only the hermits who manage to avoid the kill-off.

    And there’s the fact that more and more people know how to make nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons (separate from the naturally occurring bugs) and the population of the world might just drop two billion in just a year or two.

    Thus, your previous fears may be unfounded.

    David trying to reassure
    those who fear overpopulation
    and give them other worries

  12. art on April 3rd, 2011 12:23 pm

    Me
    i read you loud and clear, buddy. forget those yahoos, we have 2 billion, i repeat 2 billion more mouths to feed on this planet in 50 years or so. that is a conservative projection. throw in the fact we have squandered our water in the midwest, southwest and west. fertilizer from the petro chemical companies and pesticide from the petro chemical companies are actually hampering food production but they don’ want to let go of the cash cow….they will be forced to soon enough. peroleum by products are dangerous not only to the environment they are dangerous to the stability of societies. look at libya. but add another 2 bil into the world mix and that scenario keeps me awake at night. the sooner we can convert over to renewable resources the better. it will happen. petroleum and natural gas and coal are finite. don’t hate solar or wind or geothermal or tidal or any of those alternative energies because some sleazy politician gets on the band wagon. that is marginalizing a very serious problem.

  13. Me on April 3rd, 2011 10:52 am

    TO Art.
    Green energy is a sure pay off? How much chemical vertilizer does it take to produce the corn to make the ethanol that is being forced into our gas tanks?? My fuel milage dropped almost 2 miles to the gallon when every service station I pull into has 10% ethanol added. The big oil companies love blending ethanol into their gas. They are mandated by the EPA and subsidized to the tune of 48 cents per gallon with out tax dollars.
    It is called green energy because it puts a lot of green $$$ in the pockets of the Al Gores and the band of Hollywood hipocrits who fly aroung the world in their private jets and limos, while asking us to ride a bicycle or take public transportation.

  14. art on April 3rd, 2011 9:31 am

    bush jr called it an addiction. green energy is a sure pay off. kicking the chemical fertilizer link in our agriculture will enable us to continue to face the challenge of feeding the world, despite growing world population and uncertainties as to our land’s water supplies.

  15. art on April 3rd, 2011 9:24 am

    let’s all start driving go-carts. make it the “in” thing”…

  16. elmerfudd on April 3rd, 2011 8:43 am

    your lucky here its $4.10

  17. ???? on April 3rd, 2011 8:38 am

    ……and they will just keep on raising it too becaue we are going to keep on buying it…we have to and they know it