Eco warriors - any of you out there?

[branchespark]

While watching images of yet another war on the TV over the weekend, BBC news gave a list of things you can do to increase your MPG in your car, with petrol prices nudging £1.45 for diesel. 

One of their suggestions was to keep lights switched off until dusk! Now, some of you smug buggers have new Xenons with LEDs, but for those of us with the equally fantastic older Xenons (warts and all), it really would be amusing to know just how much MPG we do lose with the Xenons on all the time!

It could be absolutely nothing at all, but I would imagine that Xenons use a bit of juice to be powered on, probably more than a halogen. I just don't know.

And for the record, I really couldn't give a stuff about this sort of eco driving - it's just an interesting question.

I wonder, do the Bluemotion cars fitted with Xenons (if possible) have the DRLs switched off?! That would be the giveaway ...

[DRC]

Xenons draw roughly 35w usually, your standard halogen bulb is around 55w
There maybe a small saving to be had getting the newer led versions but very minimal. It's like everything electrical, its more toll on the battery therefore the engine has to work harder to pump the juice back in.

[AlanD]

You might save yourself 35p year.

Look after the pennies and all that.

[DRC]

Yeah maybe, but how much does it cost to spec the xenons in the first place? :p
I have my lights on all the time anyway, to me, anything I can do to make my car more visible to road users and pedestrians, is a bonus !

[Steve30]

You might save yourself 35p year.

Look after the pennies and all that.

  brilliant

[Snoopy]

Bluemotions have the LEDs on.
I am fitting the bluemotion underbody parts to improve aerodynamics  that may help 0.0000000001% 

[am1w]

How's this for ecological promotion: The beaten-up polluting cars in Cairo drive with one or no headlights at night to 'save electricity' (fuel).  How unsafe but quaint.