Allen exaggerated homes’ energy waste

Columnist Cynthia Allen recently stated that people are unwilling to make the kind of sacrifices that are needed to combat climate change (oped, last Monday). She showed a limited understanding of greenhouse gas production.

Allen is wrong when she implies that home heating and cooling are a major source of energy waste. Actually, homes and businesses together generate a small fraction of greenhouse gases. The three largest sources are electric power plants, motor vehicles and industry. Together, they account for more than threequarters of greenhouse gases.

But there is good news: Emissions from power plants have been dropping sharply. Bloomberg News recently predicted that electric cars with efficient motors will become cheaper than gasoline autos within 10 years. And industry has been saving energy. All in all, carbon dioxide emissions have fallen 14 percent in the past 10 years.

We are living in an era of great technological change. There are many opportunities for people to save money by saving energy. But we need to realize that the big changes will come from outside the home.

Alan Rosenfield Columbus