No matter how well we do with controlling pollution from transportation and electric generation or kids will be in real trouble unless we deal with the 1/3 of US pollution that comes from heating.
Half a billion tons of CO2….
That’s how much pollution America’s 5.51 million oil-heated homes will emit over the next 10 years. .
And that’s just oil…
Heating’s Status Quo: Oil and Natural Gas
Today, the biggest trend in oil heating is to replace oil with natural gas. That’s better for the climate, right?
The truth about gas
Natural gas CO2 levels are lower than oil, but when you include the methane emissions from natural gas, the total greenhouse gas profile of natural gas is worse than oil and even coal.
Climate impact compared
“For most Americans living in the northern United States, heating produces more household carbon emissions than any other activity. Out of the 20 tons of carbon that the average American emits each year, five to 10 tons can be from heating.″
Carbon footprint compared
Home energy use is mostly heat and hot water even as far south as VA
How clean can we heat with today’s technology?
It depends on the kind of house, the legacy heating system, and your location.