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“Assumed cost of doing business.”
We have all heard that phrase, but what if you could mitigate some of those costs? All savings would go directly to your bottom line.
At the end of each month, C-store operators look at fuel inventory reconciliation and decide if the site needs to be reported to the local authority due to inventory loss. If the site is within tolerance, they move to the next site or task for that day.
There are several causes of variance: evaporation, theft and meter drift. There isn’t much that can be done about evaporation. Locking fill caps will help deter theft. Meter drift can be addressed with calibration checks throughout the year, but that requires a service call and an accurate calibration can.
Here’s what fuel retailers need to know about addressing meter drift to capture savings.
Q: How are dispenser calibrations performed?
A: Calibrations are performed with a 5-gallon calibration can (the exception is high-flow dispensers like the ones found at a truck stop). Tolerance is measured in cubic inches. Acceptable tolerance varies from state to state, but “new” tolerance is + or – 3 cubic inches on 5 gallons.
A single cubic inch of gasoline in a 5-gallon calibration can doesn’t seem like much. But if the meter is -1 cubic inch, and the dispenser pumped 100,000 gallons, the dispenser gave away 86.5 gallons. Multiply that by the number of dispensers and it’s easy to see how meter drift has a big impact on the bottom line.
Q: Can meter drift be prevented?
A: Yes. All piston-style meters will drift because pistons in meters wear and reduce accuracy. Pistons in dispenser flow meters are similar to the pistons in a car engine. As the pistons slide up and down the cylinders, wear reduces compression.
The Xflo® fuel meter from Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS) features spindle technology that practically eliminates the drift that occurs with traditional meters. The Xflo® meter, which has a calibration warranty of 4 years, is available on all new DFS Wayne dispenser models and as a retrofit for some Ovation models.
Q: How much money can the Xflo® fuel meter save?
A: The Xflo® fuel meter is one of the few things fuel retailers can install on their forecourt that has a true return on investment. When margins are good, retailers make more profit. When competitors force a station to sell fuel at cost, the station doesn’t lose as much revenue.
Source North America offers a calculator that shows the savings a retail fuel operation can realize based on dispenser count, monthly throughput, meter investment and the current cost of gasoline. To calculate your savings, or for more information, please reach out to the Retail Sales Solutions team.
