http://tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=764

NASHVILLE - In the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former Vice President’s home energy use surged more than 10%, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

“A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home,” said Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “Al Gore is a hypocrite and a fraud when it comes to his commitment to the environment, judging by his home energy consumption.”

In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month.

In February 2007, An Inconvenient Truth, a film based on a climate change speech developed by Gore, won an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The next day, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research uncovered that Gore’s Nashville home guzzled 20 times more electricity than the average American household.

After the Tennessee Center for Policy Research exposed Gore’s massive home energy use, the former Vice President scurried to make his home more energy-efficient. Despite adding solar panels, installing a geothermal system, replacing existing light bulbs with more efficient models, and overhauling the home’s windows and ductwork, Gore now consumes more electricity than before the “green” overhaul.

Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Pure example of Politicians/celebs thinking they can preach but don't have to live said preaching.

Do we have another source confirming this is true?

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/gorehome.asp

Kinda true.

Its probably pretty damn close to accurate. On one hand, the guy runs a huge business out of his house - I know my energy usage is probably four times as much as any other home on my block. On the other, the green changes puzzle and disappoint.

That being said, he's done more for pushing this country towards energy efficiency and away from our addiction to oil than most and his positive impact certainly far exceeds this small amount of waste comparatively.

They should really be comparing his house to a small office building instead...comparing it to my house (or an average household) is bullshit....I'm not there most waking hours and I don't employ a bunch of people IN MY HOUSE!!

What is disconcerting is how it looks like he was ripped off in making his house more energy efficient...though it sounds like he was really trying to make it use more "green" (really starting to hate that term as much as "web 2.0) sources.

Nice "spin" article though..was interesting to find out more info.

I didn't really care much about the absolute numbers, but the increases. I know he lives in a mansion and all.

Running a couple home offices doesn't explain the constant increases, in the face of his advocacy of conservatism. Just like how he flies around by himself on a private jet instead of taking commercial flights. Even Hillary managed to get that right!

Im pretty sick of Al Gore's shit.

To blame every single thing that ever goes wrong on Global Warming is stupid. It ruins his credibility on the subject. I mean, he is a good spokesman, but he should NEVER be considered the foremost authority.

I don't understand how things increased that much with all the changes unless he's hired tons more people. Hell I swapped out most of my bulbs for those energy efficient ones and I notice a difference, albeit small definitely not an increase.

In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month.
And with that line the author lost a lot of credibility with me.

Did you know that my electricity usage over the past year could power 365 apartments for a day?!

Running a couple home offices doesn't explain the constant increases

This might:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/gore.home.ap/index.html

The private jet thing I can find no justification or response. In that respect he is a hypocrit...so his message must be crap then. ;)

As for the Jet thing I cant blame him for not wanting to put himself in a long line with all the whack jobs out there. not like he's gonna go unnoticed. well that and he's probably on the no-fly list.

As for the Jet thing I cant blame him for not wanting to put himself in a long line with all the whack jobs out there. not like he's gonna go unnoticed. well that and he's probably on the no-fly list.

Does he have lifetime Secret Service protection? If so, that could be another reason he would rather fly a private jet.

Does he have lifetime Secret Service protection? If so, that could be another reason he would rather fly a private jet.

I thought both Pres and Vice Pres were accorded that privilege upon leaving office.

We both work from home - but our bills are hardly much different compared to our friend's who do not.
I'm calling hypocrit on this one.

Reminds me of the Green MP a while back who tried to force all politicians to walk or cycle to Westminster, only to drive 5 blocks to the Commons himself in a limo.

Rather than serious rampant speculation, has anyone asked where the extra power actually goes? This reads like a news article designed to discredit his based on some probable facts - but without actually connecting cause and effect.

High energy usage, if the usage is for legitimate reasons, does not make him a hypocrite.

I'd guess that most of us think our energy usage is for legitimate reasons too.

He thinks that it's his place to tell me that my desire to keep the house 72 degrees in the summer is not legitimate. Hence, I find it my place to tell him that he's full of shit.

And with that line the author lost a lot of credibility with me.

Did you know that my electricity usage over the past year could power 365 apartments for a day?!

lol I thought the same thing.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1269749.php/Al_Gores_inconvenient_truth

From the comments at the bottom:

This faux group is being exposed as we speak, funded by all sorts of groups including exxon (should we be surprised?)

anyway, here is an update:
http://www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/NEWS01 /70226055


'Electric bills obtained by The Tennessean, however, showed that Gore is paying a premium on his bills to be part of the “green power” program. Gore purchased 108 blocks of “green power” for at least each of the last three months, according to a summary of bills from Nashville Electric Service.

That’s a total of $432 a month spent to pay extra for solar or other renewable energy sources. NES power – outside this program - is derived largely from coal, which emits carbon, a green house gas.

The green power purchased by Gore in those three months is equivalent to recycling 2.48 million aluminum cans, or recycling 286,092 pounds of newspaper, according to comparison figures on the utility's Web site.'


Regardless of how much Al Gore wants to save energy the fact is he lives in a big house he is going to have a high electric bill.

Im pretty sick of Al Gore's shit.

To blame every single thing that ever goes wrong on Global Warming is stupid. It ruins his credibility on the subject. I mean, he is a good spokesman, but he should NEVER be considered the foremost authority.

Bise and LL are now friends for life........... well at least for today :)

so if you take that 232 and /12 you get 19. So Gore's house uses more power than 19 avg. houses.

Factor in Square footage of his house compared to avg. house, and the office us...i REALLY wonder how bad it is.

If he's paying a premium to help the movement then I could understand how his costs would be more rather than less. Regardless why is consumption higher if all the changes were made?

If he's paying a premium to help the movement then I could understand how his costs would be more rather than less. Regardless why is consumption higher if all the changes were made?

I think the consumption isn't higher. His house has the 2nd highest LEED certification and as that CNN article stated his power consumption dropped 11% despite a heat wave last summer.

Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations

-1,638 kWh more energy, isn't that either a double negative or horrible writing skills? It reads as 1,638 kWh less.

The fact that he (maybe) fixed it after being called out it isn't very compelling.

I think that's meant to be an "em dash"--a dash used to set apart a side note (used in the same way that parentheses are sometimes used)--rather than a minus sign.

I normally use a double dash, since that's much easier than inserting a proper em dash and hoping that it displays properly for everyone.

The fact that he (maybe) fixed it after being called out it isn't very compelling.

But that is kinda a narrow point of view. He did it, which is good. He's inspired maybe hundreds, thousands, millions to do the same thing, which is better.

If he had done it before he started preaching (or even when he started), that would be one thing. On the other hand, waiting to practice what you preach until you get caught is about as inspiring as a televangelist.

If he had done it before he started preaching (or even when he started), that would be one thing. On the other hand, waiting to practice what you preach until you get caught is about as inspiring as a televangelist.

i think people (read: this forum) are too quick to villify someone. For all the awareness he has raised, the world wide lectures, the movie, the consistant interviews, to rape him of his credibility for something as trivial as this is nonsense.

His "sins" were minor in comparrison to others, and his raising of awareness should outweight his slight.

Think I've spoken out about the potential damage Al Gore will/could cause to his own movement for years now.

He's a flake and still nothing more than a lying politician who's in it for the granduer rather than the stated goal.

Stupid thing is, I'm not the man who invented the internet or anything but even I can find enough ideas on the net to make my home viable off the net. Google it, there are some really great viable ideas out there to reduce your carbon footprint to nill. Granted some of the ideas are spendy.

He has the money to do so, just doesn't care enough.