The EPA has launched a new commercial promoting energy conservation in the home. Wonderful, except the tone of the ad seems to advocate giving up on trying to make vehicles more fuel-efficient. One of the characters in the commercial explains that energy use at home can result in double the greenhouse gas emissions of a car. This might be true, but most households have more than one car.

Officials at the EPA say that these spots were commissioned by a branch that promotes energy saving appliances; they did not intend to send a message about automobiles. However, the ad spends a fair amount of its airtime showcasing some of the comical ways one of the characters has tried to make his old Buick burn less gas.

Even if the people responsible for the Energy Star program aren’t charged with reducing auto emissions, it seems like they should attempt to send the message that conserving energy wherever you can is a good idea.

You can view the different commercial spots on the Energy Star website.