Gore Mansion Uses 20x More Electricity than Average US Home

[Matt Molnar]

Tennessee Center for Policy Research (http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=367):

Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own “Inconvenient Truth”
Gore’s home uses more than 20 times the national average

For Immediate Release: February 26, 2007

February 26, 2007

For Further Information, Contact:
Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431
[email protected]

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, 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.

[nwafan20]

Just like most Liberal elitists, hypocrites!

[Mellyrose]

I think this is totally one-sided and DEFINITELY not an apples to apples comparison. Of COURSE it uses more electricity than the average US home. It's larger, he has to have a special security system, etc. I guarantee that if you compared his electricity usage to that of an equally sized home with the same features, his would be significantly less.

[PhilDernerJr]

I would have to side with Al Gore on this one.

He's a former Vice President...of course he's going to have a house that's jsut larger thanthe average home. that in addition to added security systems and measures that are surley implemented.

He also almost surely offsets a lot of his usage somehow.

[nwafan20]

I would normally agree, but think about it. He is going around telling all of US to cut down our energy consumption, yet he uses 20x more electricity than you and I? What happened to cutting our energy consumption?

[hiss srq]

Let me get out the "Gore hammer" He is FULL OF ****!

[Midnight Mike]

Last night when Al Gore was on stage, he was standing in front of a crowd of people that either own a Corporate Jet (or several) or at least fly in one more than once.

Steven Spielberg owns a BBJ, his company owns a Global Express & a Gulfstream.

John Travolta for goodness sake owns a 707!

Yes, most people talk the talk, but, rarely walk the walk.

As for Mr Al Gore, when he was promoting his movie, the dude was getting around on Corporate Jets.

[T-Bird76]

I'm curious to know if Gore's house has solar panels. I know that most average homes with solar panels get money back every month because they don't use as much electric as homes without solar panels. I'd hope at least his house is eco friendly.

[hiss srq]

I'd hope at least his house is eco friendly.

Impossible! That sewer rat lives there. That is an automatic rejection of that possiblity.

[mirrodie]

Just like most Liberal elitists, hypocrites!

NWAfan, you might want to try, just once, in fact I dare you to have an opinion based on facts and not backed by your painfully obvious political stance. Let's not soil another thread with the political rant, ok? :lol:


I think this is totally one-sided and DEFINITELY not an apples to apples comparison. Of COURSE it uses more electricity than the average US home. It's larger, he has to have a special security system, etc. I guarantee that if you compared his electricity usage to that of an equally sized home with the same features, his would be significantly less.

Thank you. That was the first thought that came to mind, OF course he burns more energy, his house is probably HUGE.

Funny how the article doesnt infer that his home is probably 20x larger than the average American home! Also, we don't know if he uses solar water, solar panels, etc. We just don't know! So enough of the political rant :roll: I really don't care but when I read an article like that, I want to know all the facts.

As for his use of Corporate jets, is he using a 707 or higher technology that is more efficient? Please, I doubt that is a valid argument. Walking the walk is fine and good but do you expect him to travel by train or car when a plane is more efficient?

You know, its sad that how the problem is real, and yet too many people turn it into a political anti-Gore anti-Democrat sentiment. And so the scientific process continues to get to the bottom of the issue through more research. And while I certainly don't claim to be an expert in the field of global climates, there is enough evidence to support the fact there there is a problem.

As for Mr Al Gore, when he was promoting his movie, the dude was getting around on Corporate Jets. IIRC I saw his boarding commercial jets when in the movie. So are we claiming a bait and switch tactic? I mean, I don't know at all what he flies, just what I see.


Now, I'm not defending the man. I don't care for him at all. But I do appreciate his bravery in taking a stance that no one wants to hear.

NWAfan, you specifically said he was full of **** in previous posts. Surely he is not making it up, is he? I didnt see the awards last night but I heard he won? So, if I read you correctly, he's full of ****, yet has duped millions to believe in a his global warming concerns? Yet I fail to see how he can research the data and dupe millions of people into believing in something that does not tangibly exist. Wait...that's what organized religion is for 8)

He's not going to win a political race with that pro-green stance, so enough with the political nonsensensical rants. I do think he is purely identifying a problem that does need to be addressed.

[Matt Molnar]

I think this is totally one-sided and DEFINITELY not an apples to apples comparison. Of COURSE it uses more electricity than the average US home. It's larger, he has to have a special security system, etc. I guarantee that if you compared his electricity usage to that of an equally sized home with the same features, his would be significantly less.

I would have to side with Al Gore on this one.

He's a former Vice President...of course he's going to have a house that's jsut larger thanthe average home. that in addition to added security systems and measures that are surley implemented.

He also almost surely offsets a lot of his usage somehow.

Al Gore's house is reported to be around 10,000 sq ft. From government data, the average dwelling, including all types of houses and apartments, is 2,000 sq ft. All things being equal, to justify a 20x larger bill than the average house, Al's crib would have to be 40,000 sq ft.

[mirrodie]

[
Al Gore's house is reported to be around 10,000 sq ft. From government data, the average dwelling, including all types of houses and apartments, is 2,000 sq ft. All things being equal, to justify a 20x larger bill than the average house, Al's crib would have to be 40,000 sq ft.

While I appreciate the research, again, all things are not equal. Problem though is that no matter what, we'll never really know...unless one of us gets an invite to his house.

[PhilDernerJr]

How about the fact that just using electricity isn't necessarily bad for the environment?

What if Belle Meade gets their power from windmills, hydropower or some other kind of renewable energy? These sources have almost NO environmental impact, and it isn't bad even if he used 4,000 times that of the average household.

If Gore's mansion is using 221,000kWh from renewable energy, while a toolshed uses 10kWh from coal power....then the tool shed has a worse effect on the environment.

That article is unfair and lacks many needed facts to make a judgement.

[nwafan20]

Just like most Liberal elitists, hypocrites!

NWAfan, you might want to try, just once, in fact I dare you to have an opinion based on facts and not backed by your painfully obvious political stance. Let's not soil another thread with the political rant, ok? :lol:



Um, how do you not have a political opinion in a thread about a political person? Point is, he is preaching one thing, and doing another. If you look, I didn't state all liberals because some liberals are actually right minded, just (in my opinion) misled. But the elitists (I.e. Gore, Edwards, Kerry and the bunch) are a bunch of hypocrites.

Phil, the point is we don't know so it is dangerous to speculate either way. But in his movie, he clearly called for power consumption to be cut, he didn't say just greenhouse gasses. But either way, in his consumption of his house electricity, his natural gas, his private jet, and all the other power he uses it clearly shows he is a hypocrite!

[Mellyrose]

Renewable energy is FINE for use as a means of cutting back energy. We NEED energy, so SUSTAINABLE energy is the way to go. I'm sure he has solar panels, water collection, etc.

The fact remains, there is nowhere near enough data for this article to be valid either way.

[PhilDernerJr]

He called for it to be cut because a lot of our sources for electricity DO damage the environment. If his aren't, then it's not a problem.

The bottom line is that the article doesn't show all the facts, jsut as you siad yourself. So, you shouldn't judge him. I'm a Republican and think his movie is a farce, but you sitll have to see that this article is unfair.

If you think otherwise you are just looking to add another label on him and are not being reasonable.

[hiss srq]

Phil are you tipping the back end of a bottle up right now? Or are you taking cues from my new book "Learn to type like Ryan"?

[nwafan20]

But take in account all the other sources of energy he uses, and it states that his bill was ... You don't get a bill if you are using your own solar panels.

My thoughts of Al Gore being a hypocrite stem back way before this article, but I agree, it is dangerous to speculate either way (if he uses clean energy or fossil fuels) and to form an opinion of him based on this article.

[Matt Molnar]

It all depends on where they got this info from. One would assume they got it from public records somehow in order to know how much energy he used and how much he paid for it. There would only be public records if he was buying the energy from somewhere as opposed to generating it on his own. If he made 221,000 kwh own, or even a percentage of it, and there happened to be a record of it, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be bringing it up because that would only make him look good.

Also, taking your house "off the grid," even partially, is an extremely expensive and complex undertaking. There's no doubt that had the Gores done this, they would have made a huge deal about it in the media and milked it for every penny's worth.

[PhilDernerJr]

But take in account all the other sources of energy he uses, and it states that his bill was ... You don't get a bill if you are using your own solar panels.

But you can still get a high bill if the electricity from your area comes form windmills or hydropower.

[nwafan20]

But again, we go back to the fact that most likely it didn't. Most of Americas electricity comes from coal.

[nwafan20]

Al currently uses no green energy sources in either his 20,000-square foot, 20-room, eight-bathroom Memphis home or his 4,000-square foot Arlington, Virginia home. He has controlled hundreds of thousands of dollars in Occidental Petroleum stock even as the company came under attack for drilling in ecologically dicey zones. He gets $20,000 a year in zinc mining royalties from property on which his third home sits, in Carthage, Tennessee.


http://soundpolitics.com/archives/006650.html


So, looks like all his power comes from non-green resources.


In the Washington, D.C., area, utility companies offer wind energy as an alternative to traditional energy. In Nashville, similar programs exist. Utility customers must simply pay a few extra pennies per kilowatt hour, and they can continue living their carbon-neutral lifestyles knowing that they are supporting wind energy. Plenty of businesses and institutions have signed up. Even the Bush administration is using green energy for some federal office buildings, as are thousands of area residents. But according to public records, there is no evidence that Gore has signed up to use green energy in either of his large residences.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 01&sc=1000 (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/20/INGCGKJSB61.DTL&hw=al+gore&sn=001&sc=1000)

[mirrodie]

Um, how do you not have a political opinion in a thread about a political person? Point is, he is preaching one thing, and doing another. If you look, I didn't state all liberals because some liberals are actually right minded, just (in my opinion) misled. But the elitists (I.e. Gore, Edwards, Kerry and the bunch) are a bunch of hypocrites.

Easy. You separate the two. I have no problem with you backing claims with sources, as you just did above. And I have no problem calling a spade a spade. But your credibility falls short when you start throwing about temrs like liberal elitists. They just don't belong in this thread.


As I said, I don't care for Al Gore. But I think the cause he brings to the forefront is clear and needs to be addressed. I doubt he is duping millions with lies. He may even be a hypocrit evev though I doubt that article is two-sided.

I just do when I can in my own environs. Bamboo floors, decreased use of oil, planned solar panels. I like the idea of a clean home and incororate those ideas as I update our home.

[T-Bird76]

I turn off all the lights when I watch T.V, does that count as envio firendly? lol

[nwafan20]

Conserving is no problem, the problem comes where someone uses lies to try to convince others to do that.

Al Gore dupes many by saying everything as a fact, and using skewed evidence to support it. His propaganda includes showing pictures of melting glaciers, but he fails to point out that other glaciers are growing!

As for me calling him a liberal elitist, lets take a look at the term elitist:

e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism (ĭ-lç'tĭz'əm, â-lç'-)
n.
The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.

That sure sounds like Al Gore to me! He feels that others should cut consumption, yet he fails to do it because he feels he deserves more than the rest of us.

[Midnight Mike]

I turn off all the lights when I watch T.V, does that count as envio firendly? lol

Just as long as you fart with the windows closed, why waste the heat. :lol:

[mirrodie]

http://www.airliners.net/discussions/non_aviation/read.main/1542636/#menu26

Replies 8 and 13 are interesting. That thread has more aspects in it to consider. But the problem again is the same morons who can't discuss an issue without reviewing all the facts or injecting unecessary tainted political views into it.



Just as long as you fart with the windows closed, why waste the heat. :lol:

Yeah, just don't light a match in that same room, especially after Mike's had lunch at the In and Out.

[PhilDernerJr]

If it's shown that his area does not use any sort of renewable energy, then perhaps he should do more about that.

But I think that one should give him at least just a ltitle leeway for the fact that it is obvious that any person with a lrger home who is a former VP of the US that has security systems will use a litle more juice than the average person.

[T-Bird76]

If it's shown that his area does not use any sort of renewable energy, then perhaps he should do more about that.

But I think that one should give him at least just a ltitle leeway for the fact that it is obvious that any person with a lrger home who is a former VP of the US that has security systems will use a litle more juice than the average person.

Very good point. I think however Gore is taking this save energy thing a bit to serious. Did you see him? HE'S HUGE!! He needs to expel some energy on the exercise bike.

[mirrodie]

Well, do I have to come up with the answer that is best all around? Nix th eexercise bike.


Get a human sized hamster wheel and hook it up to a turbine generator.


Throw Al Gore on it and let him run like Forrest Gump.

-NWAFan will be happy b/c Gore will no longer be a hypocrit (...um, nix that, he'd have to change parties too)

-He'll lose weight.

-He'll create an abundance of renewable energy and decreased greenhouse emissions.



Geez, do I have to do all the thinking around here?!

[nwafan20]

No, he wouldn't have to change parties, not all liberals are hypocrites. I'm not that closed-minded. ;) I'm actually good friends with several liberals, actually, quite a few far leftists, but at least they stand by what they say, and act upon it.

Phil, do you honestly think a security system takes up 20x more power than the average home? If it does, that must be a really power hungry system!

Al Gore goes around preaching about a smaller carbon footprint, yeah, three huge homes is a real small footprint Mr. Gore, so the "well he has a large home" argument isn't valid, it just shows his further hypocrisy!

That reply 13 in A.net is misleading, they claim he uses green power, no, he INVESTS in a green power company (as it states in his quote), but none of his homes are powered via green fuels, even though they ARE available for a few extra pennies on the dollar.

[T-Bird76]

Has anyone pointed out that Al Gore does not live in the average middle class style house? He lives in a god dam mansion! A mansion is going to use allot more energy then a three bedroom ranch. How about making a fair comparison and compare his house to a similar house and then lets talk.

[PhilDernerJr]

Has anyone pointed out that Al Gore does not live in the average middle class style house?

Yes, we did mention that several times. Thanks for reading. :-p *ducks*

[T-Bird76]

[quote="T-Bird76":5e437]Has anyone pointed out that Al Gore does not live in the average middle class style house?

Yes, we did mention that several times. Thanks for reading. :-p *ducks*[/quote:5e437]

And you people still waste energy by arguing this topic, lol :wink:

[Matt Molnar]

The latest: the electric company says it never gave out any info about Gore's electrical use to the group that issued the press release scolding him. A spokeswoman for Gore said Al buys enough credits for renewable energy sources that balance 100% of his electricity costs.

[Mellyrose]

Wup! Didn't see that coming! :roll:

[nwafan20]

Al Gore buys "carbon offsets" to compensate for his home's use of energy from carbon-based fuels. But how does Gore buy his offsets? Apparently through Generation Investment Management, which Gore helped found. Gore is chairman of the firm and probably draws a substantial income, or will, as its investments prosper. In other words, he buys his offsets from HIMSELF through a transaction designed to boost HIS own investments and return a profit to himself. Meanwhile, he runs around trumpeting a climate crisis and blaming it all on mankind... or at least American mankind. His efforts have climate change at the top of the national and even global agenda, driving up the value of stocks for companies viewed as green. Companies like his own investment management firm.
Ol' Al is laughing all the way to the bank

[Matt Molnar]

I guess it doesn't matter so much if he pays for the offsets or not, so long as he is indeed offsetting his usage. Still, I think the global warming thing is a global conspiracy to tax the life out of the industrialized world, and he's the kingpin. :)

[nwafan20]

Hes offsetting it by putting money in his own pocket... That doesn't accomplish much does it?

The whole "offsetting" thing is a hoax to get money to further spread the belief of global warming. They just give it to enviornmental groups (and Al's pocket), that doesn't lessen his impact of the enviornment, it doesn't even make up for it!