Okay, so many of you have seen a similar email containing similar information, but I felt it was time to break from my typical serious article and insert a little housing irony. Which of the following two home descriptions belong to Environmentalist Al Gore’s house? BTW – Liz and I certainly could shore up the energy efficiency of our own home, not attempting to throw stones here.
House #1
A 20 room, 10,000 square foot mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house, all heated by gas. In one month this residence consumes more energy than the average American household does in a year. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400 per month. In natural gas alone, this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not situated in a Northern ‘snow belt’ area.
House #2
Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university. This house incorporates every ‘green’ feature current home construction can provide. The house is 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on a high prairie. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat-pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground.
The water (usually 67 degrees F) heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas and it consumes one-quarter electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Surrounding flowers and shrubs native to the area enable the property to blend into the surrounding rural landscape.
House #1 is located in the ultra-wealthy enclave of Nashville called Belle Meade; it is Al Gore’s house. House #2 is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas ; it is the residence of George W. Bush.
A couple of photos of George Bush’s Ranch
Photos and Tax Record for Al Gore’s Nashville House
