Al Gore's Mansion uses 20x Average HouseHold

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through free market policy solutions, issued a press release late Monday:



Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

For Further Information, Contact:
Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431
editor@tennesseepolicy.org

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The group said that Gore used nearly 221,000 kilowatt hours last year and that his average monthly electric bill was $1,359. Johnson said his group got its figures from Nashville Electric Service.

But company spokeswoman Laurie Parker said the utility never got a request from the policy center and never gave it any information.

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... in 1999 when Governor George W. Bush gave architect David Heymann a list of design priorities for the new ranch house that he and his wife sought to build, the Texan's top three requests were anything but extravagant: a king-sized bed, a good shower, and some comfortable chairs on the porch.

... the President and the First Lady had already put those plans in motion several years earlier by purchasing a spread in the heart of "real America" during his second term as governor of Texas...the Bushes came across a 1,550-acre tract 20 miles west of Waco just outside the town of Crawford (population 701)...

A more momentous undertaking—the design and construction of a new home for the Bushes—would begin during George Walker Bush's gubernatorial tenure and be completed only after his presidential inauguration. Their choice of Austin architect David Heymann revealed a commitment to build a house that fit naturally into the landscape.

"The Bushes told me they had this beautiful piece of land and they wanted the house to add to the land, not disrupt it," says Heymann, an associate dean of architecture at the University of Texas. "Given the complexity of their lives, they wanted a place where they could feel grounded. They wanted to be in the land and related to it."

To this end, Heymann traveled to Crawford with the couple and spent much time siting the residence and designing the layout.

According to Heymann, the four-bedroom home was planned so that "every room has a relationship with something in the landscape that's different from the room next door. Each of the rooms feels like a slightly different place."

The resulting single-story ranch house, which was built by members of a religious community from the nearby community of Elm Mott, is a paragon of environmental planning.

The passive-solar house is built of honey-colored native limestone and positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the 4,000-square-foot residence. Geothermal heat pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground. These waters pass through a heat exchange system that keeps the home warm in winter and cool in summer.

A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the four-bedroom home. Laura Bush insisted on the use of indigenous grasses, shrubs, and flowers to complete the exterior treatment of the home.

In addition to its minimal environmental impact, the look and layout of the new ranch house reflect one of the Bushes' paramount priorities: relaxation. A spacious 10-foot porch wraps completely around the residence and beckons the family outdoors.

With few hallways to speak of, family and guests make their way from room to room either directly or by way of the porch. Heymann says, "The house doesn't hold you in. Where the porch ends there is grass. There is no step-up at all."

...David Heymann credits the President with this easygoing feel. "He wanted it to be very relaxed. The way he described it, he wanted a house for people to come over, sit on the couch, and eat hamburgers and beans with their shoes off."

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sillycat said:

Gore can follow Bush's example of how to make his mansion more "green". Also another choice he can do is to downsize his house--sell his mansion for a smaller house which would use less electricity and gas for heat and lights, etc. Gore seems to have feet of clay....not a perfect role model.

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Reba said:

Maybe he can just let some homeless people move in with him. :P

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doh said:

Did you mention that Gore pays about $400 extra per month to get environmentally friendly power? :roll:

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Pacman said:

Also, Bush's house looks ugly and doesn't like his archiculture, though.

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Reba said:

Is that a sin? Is that a crime? Is that destructive to the environment? Is that your personal opinion?

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sillycat said:

Gore can follow Bush's example of how to make his mansion more "green". Also another choice he can do is to downsize his house--sell his mansion for a smaller house which would use less electricity and gas for heat and lights, etc. Gore seems to have feet of clay....not a perfect role model.

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Throwstones said:

Remember He is affordable to have huge house cuz he is former vice president and earn money from movies!

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