Gore: Repairs Near Done on 'Green' Home

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: Gore: Repairs Near Done on 'Green' Home
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 8, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Al Gore, the environmental activist stung by criticism over his house's energy efficiency, said Friday that renovations are nearly complete to make it a model ''green'' home.

''This plan has been in the works for a long time,'' the former vice president said in an interview with The Associated Press. ''The only thing that has changed is that we're more public about it because of the misleading attack by a global-warming denier group.''

Earlier this year, a conservative group criticized Gore, citing electric bills that were far more than the typical Nashville home. Utility records showed the Gore family paid an average monthly electric bill of about $1,200 last year for its 10,000-square-foot home.

Gore's renovation project, which he said has been in the works for months, seeks to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Once his upscale neighborhood changed zoning laws earlier this year, Gore was able to place solar panels on his roof, and he's now preparing to install a geothermal system that will, among other things, drastically reduce the cost of heating his pool.

Gore is also upgrading windows and ductwork, installing more energy-efficient light bulbs and creating a rainwater collection system for irrigation and water management....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Gore-Tennessee-Home.html

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Excellent

short on facts though.

Does he have his reno plans online? Anybody have an article with more details?

Or, I could not be lazy and google it myself...

edit:
the only hits I'm getting are this AP Article... :(

[OneBlueSky]

2. if he can do it to his own home, then he can sure as hell lead a nationwide effort . . .

to make buildings as energy-efficient and environmentally friendly as possible . . . just the guy we need in Washington! . . .

Run, Al, Run!!! . . .

[w4rma]

3. Heh, notice how the article leaves out certain important facts.

Like the fact that his office and many of his staff worked out of his home. And how the article said the criticism was about the house's energy "efficiency" when it was really the energy "bill amount". And also note how there is nothing mentioned about how he was paying extra money to use renewable power sources.

The pattern is that right-wing slanders can never be wrong on the facts according to these neo-con 'news' sources.

[The_Progressive]

4. Why doesn't Al just build a solar home?

Al could lead the way.

[IndyOp]

7. We need people who model how to retrofit existing homes for maximal

efficiency and people who build solar...both. If he spent millions on a new solar home he would be leading the way for some, but leaving most of us behind.

:hi:

[Uncle Joe]

20. I believe you make a good point IndyOp.

:thumbsup:

[AlGore-08.com]

16. If he built a new home, he'd get the same kind of heat Edwards got

The 'net would be flooded with photographs of bulldozers knocking down trees to make room for Gore's new house. Those photographs would be accompanied by helpful descriptions of the house Gore was moving out of (and every house he ever lived in), designed to make it sound like Gore was the biggest hypocrite and spoiled rich person who ever lived. Check the archives for some of the threads about Edwards' house to see the kind of response it would get.

And as to why Gore isn't running an all solar house now - - it took two years to get the zoning laws changed to allow any kind of solar panels in his neighborhood. But the new law only allows panels to be installed where they can't be seen from the road (and possibly your neighbor's house).

Since he can't make all his own power, he buys green power from his utility company.

[sellitman]

5. This proves one thing to me.....

He is going to run.

He is dieting and re-doing his house.

Making himself "bullet proof"

RUN AL...... RUN!!!!!!!!!!

[MissWaverly]

6. global warming denier group, tee hee, he has a way with words

and he can say nuclear w/o a struggle, somehow, I don't think he would miss a G8 meeting due to a hangover.

[IndyOp]

8. What angers me is the NYT even giving the pissant global-warming denier

an inch of print. Journalistic balance is bullshit when balance requires interviewing someone like that.

:grr:

[MissWaverly]

10. I heard NYT David Brooks on the News Hour last night

he was regurgitating his theory on an innocent man hounded by an Out of Control Prosecutor, Was he talking about Bill Clinton and
Kenneth Starr, No, he was discussing "Scooter Libby" and Patrick Fitzgerald.

More evidence of the liberal "bias" of the media-NOT.

[DeepModem Mom]

13. In fairness, this is an AP wire story with a link, among other wire stories...

from AP and Reuters, in the NYT. It probably appears in quite a few newspapers and online.

[Uncle Joe]

21. The Gannet Corp. owned Tennessean did it the very day after

they gave Al good coverage for a change for winning the Oscar, by putting the house story on the front page as if this were breaking news, they just couldn't stand to let Al have some positive coverage for any length of time. The same shit was done to him prior to the selection of 2000, every time he started to pull away from Bush, the MCM pulled out all these bogus slanders out of thin air.:mad:

[Hippo_Tron]

22. I prefer calling them the "Flat Earth People"

Someone on DU made that up I believe. I wish Gore would adopt it.

[tammywammy]

9. Good for him

I just wish I could afford to install solar panels and update my house as well.

[mcg]

11. energy-conservation measures

Yes, solar panels are still expensive, but here are some less expensive steps
from 'Frequently Asked Questions About Solar Electricity' at
http://www.cwsenergy.com/resources/pvfaq.html

... The first step you should take is to implement every single energy-conservation measure that you can, to reduce your energy load. These measures include

purchasing energy-efficient appliances,
using power strips to turn off equipment that run on "stand-by" power, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos, and
using compact fluorescent lamps in all light fixtures.

Some people discover that once they have taken these conservation measures that their electricity consumption is so low that they really don't need to move to a solar energy system. A home using about 70 kWh per month (2.34 kWh per day) will have an electric bill of about $8.00+/- per month.

If you do not perform these conservation measures, you will be paying for a much larger, and therefore much more expensive photovoltaic system than you really need, and you will be adding many years to the pay-back period.

Once the measures have been implemented, if your energy consumption still exceeds 7 or 8 kWh per day, you may want to look into getting a photovoltaic system.
...

other steps include
. get an enery audit done (some utility co's do this)
. super-insulate the house
. sealing the house
. ensure windows and doors are insulating
. ensure there's plenty of insulation in the attic
. use an attic fan
. use an ceiling fan

I must admit, I haven't done many of these steps, I need to, and soon, especially since this year my state has tax credits for some of these steps.

[tammywammy]

12. I'm buying a house that was built in 1951

It's needs a bit of updating to say the least. :)

I have plans on fixing it up, but it'll take some time. :)

[burrowowl]

14. Before you put in new energy saving bulbs

Make sure your lighting fixtures have been up-graded. Many older light fixtures blow them out after a few weeks.

[mcg]

19. 20 free ways to save energy

Some good tips on saving energy:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/news/september-2006/20-free-ways-to-save-energy-9-06/overview/20-free-ways-to-save-energy_ov.htm

[Canuckistanian]

15. Maybe he should publicize his 'after-renovation' utility bill

Just to show people that you can save money while you're helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

[AlGore-08.com]

17. I think that for a lot of people the thing holding them back is the initial costs

After you tell folks "in your area, installing solar panels on your house will generate X amount of power and save you Y amount on your utility bills", they go researching how much it will take to get those solar panels. And for way too many people, the initial expenditure is beyond their means. Ditto when the choice is between buying a new Prius with a MSRP of $23,000 and a new Chevy Cobalt with a MSRP of $13,000. (And let's not forget the low income people for whom the idea of buying a CFL light bulb for $8 is an equally impossible dream.)

When Gore gave his 10 point plan to combat global warming to the Congress, he emphasized that part the revenue generated from the carbon taxes must be used to help low and middle income people purchase these necessary technologies.

[mcg]

18. CFL light bulbs - 6 for 10 dollars

CFL light bulbs come much cheaper now, for example

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=46428-75774-L13T6&lpage=none

Bright Effects
6-Pack 13-Watt Mini-Twist CFL Light Bulbs
$9.98

I use these and they work fine, the color is good and they don't flicker.

I bought a used Prius, I didn't want to spend the money for a new one.
Still, even a used Prius is too expensive for many people.

I balk at buying solar panels because of the cost, and I make pretty good money.

We do need to make energy efficiency more affordable.

[bobbolink]

23. Thank you for remembering us low-income folk!

I appreciate your understanding that the lightbulbs aren't something a lot of us can do.

There've been so many posts lately completely oblivious to the reality of those of us on the bottom rungs. It hurts, and it's very disheartening.

Thanks.