Diesel Fuel Consumption

If last year’s extreme weather showed us anything, it’s that power outages are becoming more common and can happen at any time and for any length of time. After the flooding in Texas, and with Florida and Puerto Rico both getting hit by historic hurricanes we saw millions of Americans without power for up to 30 days. Some areas are still without electricity. This excessive diesel fuel consumption puts a major strain on emergency power systems and the supply of red dye diesel fuel that’s available.

Many factors come into play when designing an emergency power system, and should include weather information, like average rainfall and proximity to hurricane and tornado activity. Research into weather patterns in your area will give you an idea of how often you may have power outages, how long they may last, and your average diesel fuel consumption. Knowing this will help in planning the size of your fuel tank and how much to invest in reserve fuel.

How it adds up:

Take the 2011 Southwest Blackout for example. On September 8^th of that year, the entire power grid connecting San Diego, Tijuana and parts of Arizona completely failed. 1.4 million people in San Diego and another 1.1 million people in Mexico were without power for up to 24 hours. Power was restored over to 500,000 people after 11 hours, bringing some relief.

If this was to happen today, with average prices of red dye diesel hovering just below four dollars a gallon, an 11-hour outage could be quite costly. Caterpillar’s popular 3406 model diesel generator, at 300 kW under full load uses 22.9 gallons of fuel an hour. That could be over $1000 in diesel fuel alone.

Smaller generators, of course, will have better fuel consumption rates. A 100 kW Cummins DGDB model diesel generator uses only 7.5 gallons of fuel per hour, which can sustain a small clinic or business for a much longer period. The same 11 hours would cost less than $400 in diesel fuel.

Of course, proper generator and engine maintenance, as well as proper fuel storage are paramount in achieving the best diesel fuel consumption rates. Other weather-related precautions including pad placement, weatherproof enclosures, and engine block heaters will ensure your system is prepared when the weather turns for the worst.

Woodstock Power Company

We buy, sell, rent and lease used, new and surplus generators. We offer a turnkey solution for selling your used generator and can facilitate ordering and delivery of your brand new generator. We offer high quality, low hour used examples of the best generators from the top manufacturers. Please feel free to call us with any questions.

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