LETTER: Missing some points about gas furnaces

In his recent letter, Harlan Stockman suggests “eliminating gas furnaces won’t do much about climate change.” He’s partially correct. But he misses a few points, including health and economic reasons.

Electric heat pumps are cheaper to maintain and more efficient — and the cost is subsidized by the government via the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s not just the carbon emissions we worry about with gas furnaces. Methane emissions are 80 times more powerful in trapping heat than carbon emissions over the short-term.

The most important point, however, is that there’s no “silver bullet” approach when it comes to stopping our climate from changing. We need the “silver scattershot” method. Many different societal changes are necessary to reduce the use of fossil fuels where appropriate and affordable. Replacing worn-out appliances with electric-powered ones fits that approach.