The weekly trip to your local gas station may be costing you more than you think. In fact, so-called "hot gas" is costing consumers like you and I billions of dollars every year. Is this just an oversight, or a scheme devised by gas stations to milk consumers of more money?
Hot gas: It's something that the average citizen has never heard of. In fact, I'm not going to lie to you...I just recently learned about hot gas myself.
So what exactly is it?
Essentially, hot gas is gasoline sold to consumers at a temperature greater than the national standard of 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Who cares?
You should.
Like most other liquids, gasoline expands and contracts depending on the temperature. At 60 degrees a gallon of gasoline measures 231 cubic inches and contains a certain amount of energy.
But if a gallon of gasoline is heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it expands to 235 cubic inches.
What this means is that if gas stations sell you a gallon of fuel at 90 degrees, you pay the posted price for 235 cubic inches but only get the energy contained in 231 cubic inches of gasoline.
What are a few cubic inches between friends?
A lot.
Consider this. For every 10,000 gallons of fuel that a gas station sells at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, consumers are being ripped off $432.90 with gasoline prices at $2.50 a gallon.
So in short, when gas stations sell us fuel above 60 degrees, you and I get ripped off.
Typical underground storage tanks lie about twelve feet below ground. At this depth, the temperature of the gasoline can remain constant for most of the year. Moreover, contemporary storage tanks are double-lined, allowing the gas to sustain the same temperature as when it was delivered.
These storage tanks must be double-lined because of environmental regulations that were aimed at preventing leaks. But this essentially makes them underground thermoses and allows gas stations to keep the gasoline contained warmed longer.
And during the hot summer months, gasoline can be delivered up to 40 degrees more than the standard. |
