Spare Refrigerators

* “Putting the Heat on 2-Fridge Households” (April 6) makes me feel the heat. Why do power companies pick on refrigerators the same way water districts pick on toilets whenever there is a quest to reduce usage? Let’s pick on golf carts! A quick calculation shows that walking the links in the Coachella Valley instead of using a golf cart saves enough energy in one month to power 500 homes in Palm Springs. Extrapolate that across the state and the energy savings will take the word “crisis” out of Gov. Gray Davis’ vocabulary.

If the “energy crisis” is real, then let’s see the fat cats with their fancy golf clubs use their feet instead of golf carts. Until then, my old fridge stays on the front porch.

DAVID CLARKE

Cathedral City

* If, as stated, 200,000 homes could be powered by disconnecting these second fridges, why not mandate that they be disconnected? I recall when we would be cited if we washed down our driveways during the water shortage. Why not cite violators of a “second fridge” law? For $2 a week, a bag of ice can be used to cool those soft drinks that are stored. We’re talking significant savings here. It was the first thing I unplugged when the bills went up.

SANDY SALKOW

Pacific Palisades