Letters to the Editor: Gas pool heaters are an easy target. What about gas cars?
To the editor: Should we all stand up and applaud the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) for its decision to eliminate gas-fueled pool heaters? This is just another easy-to-pass regulation that will end up costing consumers money.
My gripe with the AQMD? It won’t touch cars. You can own as many cars as you want. You can drive as many miles as you want. You can buy and consume as much gasoline as you want. Air pollution will continue to be a problem as long as the roads are clogged with cars and trucks.
Let’s face it: Regulating pool heaters is just a drop in the bucket. Drive out onto the 405 Freeway in the morning or afternoon and you’ll see why we have so much air pollution.
Peter Marquard, Northridge
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To the editor: I have a gas pool heater and never use it because doing so is too expensive. I use a solar cover if I want to heat the pool.
Another issue with getting rid of gas appliances is not simply buying an electric appliance. If you have an older home that was not wired to handle new electric appliances, you have to hire an electrician to upgrade your panel and rewire your home to handle the new equipment. This is a considerable cost of going electric.
The government needs to take that into account with new regulations.
I am not saying the change should not be made, but to accomplish the goal of reducing climate emissions and air pollution, the government should offer more tax breaks and a list of electricians who will do the work at reasonable rates.
Linda Shabsin, Diamond Bar
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To the editor: Once again, a government agency gets it wrong.
The latest environmental protection scheme is to ban gas pool heaters. Really? A seldom used gas pool heater is nothing in terms of damaging our environment compared with the countless gasoline leaf blowers used every waking hour in California.
I hear and smell unregulated gasoline leaf blowers from sunrise to sunset. Ever hear of a smog check for a leaf blower? In contrast, I have yet to hear or smell a gas pool heater — not even once.
Rodney Kemerer, Beverly Hills
