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Unnecessary idling wastes fuel and results in emissions that degrade local air quality and contribute to climate change. Vehicle idling reduction programs can save your operations up to 20% on your annual fuel budgets — not to mention the added air quality, health and environmental benefits.
For example, Paradise Island Foods has dropped their idling time from 15-20% down to 1.4% using data tracking technology, automatic idle shut down timers, and driver incentives of half the fuel savings.
Since signing up with Idle Free BC, the City of Salmon Arm has become idle free, only idling when necessary to operate equipment.
If vehicles avoided idling by just three minutes a day, over the year Canadians would collectively save 630 million litres of fuel, and $945 million in fuel costs (assuming a fuel cost of $1.50/L). This would also save 6.3 billion kilograms of GHG emissions.
| Idling Time | 1 hour | 365 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Post 1995 Class 8 Diesel Truck Engine |
Post 1995 Class 8 Diesel Truck Engine |
| RPM | 800 | 800 |
| Fuel Consumption | 4 litres | 1,460 litres |
| GHG Emissions | 11.2 kg | 4,008 kg |
| PM | 1 - 5 g | 365 - 1,835 g |
| NOx | 140 g | 51,000 g |
| Cost of Diesel (99.9 cents/litre) |
$4.00 | $1,458.54 |
Source: US Environmental Protection Agency (2002)
- Fact: 20-60% of service delivery vehicle operating time is spent idling.
- Fact: Running an engine at low speed causes twice the wear on internal parts compared to driving at regular speeds.
- Fact: Safety equipment can be operated without the engine running through re-wired circuitry for up to an hour with no ill-effects on the electrical systems.
Idle Free BC


