I reduced my annual idle time by over 70% with AUTOTHERM!!
I have been a Mobile Maintenance Mechanic for Chicago International /IdeaLease, formerly Freund International/IdeaLease, in Huntley, Illinois for 5 years.
In October 2003 I had an AUTOTHERM -2100 Energy Recovery System installed in my International 6 cylinder, 230 horsepower, 800 RPM Mobile Service vehicle. As you know, our job requires us to be out in all kinds of weather, at any time of the day and night to service vehicles, primarily trucks. While performing this service work we invariably leave our truck idling so we have a warm cab to go to in the winter or a cool one in the summer. Obviously this results in a lot of fuel being consumed during the idling time. In fact, on average, I have idled my truck approximately 22-2300 hours a year in the past. Although we get a break in fuel cost, because of quantity discounts, we still pay about $1.65/gallon for diesel fuel.
From October 2003 through the end of September, 2004 my AUTOTHERM hour meter has logged 1635 hours. In other words, I did not idle my truck 1635 hours last year when I normally would have because my T-2100 Energy Recovery System kept the inside of my cab warm in the winter and ambient in the summer without idling the engine. I reduced my annual idle time by over 70% with AUTOTHERM!!
My truck consumes between 1 and 1¼ gallons of fuel per hour when idling. With diesel at $1.65/gallon the unit saved at least $2700.00 of fuel expense alone for my company.
With an installed price of $500.00 or less the R.O.I on this unit was about 2 ¼ months.
Being a maintenance mechanic I also know that extensive idling is not good for an engine, so there is certainly some engine maintenance savings we realized that are not included in the R.O.I above.
From the time the initial installation of the T-2100 was completed the unit has functioned without a problem.
I would recommend this product to anyone who is in an industry that requires their vehicles to idle unnecessarily for any length of time.
Sincerely,
Dan Pasko
Mobile Maintenance Mechanic
Chicago International/IdeaLease
October 2003