Anyone can claim that their products are more cost-effective than their competitors—but we’re here to prove it with real numbers. Keep reading for all the reasons Coosa panels will save you money in the long run.

The Cost Savings You Get with Coosa Panels

 In this example, we’re evaluating the cost savings associated with replacing plywood with Coosa panels in a bus’ sub-floor. We’ve broken it down into real, applicable numbers so you can see the data for yourself. 

On a 45 foot bus, installing a Coosa Composites sub-floor saves 218 to 264 pounds of weight depending on material thickness.  The EPA estimates that for every 100 pounds in reduced weight your fuel economy will increase 1-2%.  In order to offer a conservative view of fuel saved using Coosa Composites instead of plywood in your subfloor, we based our numbers on 1% fuel economy increase per 100 pounds of weight reduction and, used the Federal Transit Administration’s minimum service life for heavy duty vehicles of 12 years. 

The National Academies of Sciences and Engineering take it one step further and differentiates between fuel economy and fuel consumption.  “Fuel economy is a measure of how far a vehicle will go with a gallon of fuel and is expressed in miles per gallon (mpg).  This is the term used by consumers, manufacturers, and regulators to communicate with the public in North America”.  “Fuel consumption is the inverse measure-the amount of fuel consumed in driving a given distance”.  Fuel consumption is an engineering measure that more accurately describes the goal of reducing the amount of fuel needed to drive a particular distance.  The two terms are reciprocal in the fact that if you know one of them you can always determine the other, but they are not linear.  It is the difference in fuel consumption that determines yearly fuel savings, and it’s how we calculate fuel cost savings.   

Using an average of 3.35 mpg and 42,000 miles a year for diesel transit buses, the amount of diesel fuel saved yearly would be between 270 to 346 gallons depending on the subfloor thickness.  At $2.50 per gallon for diesel fuel, a city with a fleet of just 100 buses could save over $10,000 a year or, over $1,000,000 during the lifecycle of the buses.  

This amount of fuel savings can help to substantially lower your carbon footprint. 

Other Ways Coosa Panels Save You Money

Coosa panels also have twice the insulation value of plywood, meaning that heat loss through your bus floor is cut in half. The reduced weight you get with using our panels also means less wear and tear on other parts of the bus, and Coosa panels are maintenance free—meaning there are no maintenance costs.

Our Bluewater 20 panels, for example, are 45% lighter than plywood—that’s even more fuel cost savings. Some panels, like our Nautical 15 panel, are up to 61% lighter than plywood. Every single one of our panels is made out of strong material that’s built to last. Their water absorption is incredibly low, and there’s absolutely no risk of mold or rot, so you don’t have to worry about replacing them every few years. We all know that replacing plywood every few years can add up fast—Coosa boards pay for themselves relatively quickly. 

Our panels are manufactured by skilled employees in a safe, environmentally friendly facility using the finest polyurethane and fiberglass available. 

To learn more about our panels and how they can save you money, get in touch with us.