By Randy Conat
FENTON (WJRT) (WJRT) -- (10/18/07)- School districts in the state are doing all they can to reduce the amount of fuel their buses use. Some are turning to a device from a Mid-Michigan-based company that's designed to save them money in the long run.
A lot of diesel fuel is wasted when school buses idle for long periods of time. But it's necessary to keep them warm on cold, winter days.
"School buses account for $224 million in fuel consumption that goes out the tailpipe while they're sitting around idling, waiting to warm up," said John Thomas, Webasto's vice president of marketing.
Webasto, whose North American headquarters is in Fenton, is one of several companies marketing devices that allow drivers to turn off engines and still keep the heat on.
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The heater is tied in to the fuel line and the coolant system. When you fire it up, it works sort of like a kerosene heater. It warms up the coolant, which in turn warms up the bus.
Nine buses in the Swartz Creek school district fleet have the supplemental heaters. The transportation staff loves them. "Driver comfort is one reason we like it; then there's fuel savings and less exhaust. Emissions are reduced when you're not running a bus setting in front of a school. That's important," said Swartz Creek Schools garage leader Dennis Roy.
The Webasto heater costs about $2,000 and can go on any vehicle that does a lot of idling.
Thomas says it will normally take less than a year to pay back the investment.
Roy agrees, saying they've paid for themselves.
The Environmental Protection Agency says 668 barrels of diesel fuel are wasted every school day by idling school buses in Michigan. Supplemental heaters would go a long way toward reducing that number.