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And Al Gore famously had a heated pool and sidewalks. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/GlobalWarming/story?id=2906888&page=1 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Glo

And Al Gore famously had a heated pool and sidewalks. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/GlobalWarming/story?id=2906888&page=1 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/GlobalWarming/story?id=29068...

nitrogen 5y ago
Environmentalism doesn't have to equal asceticism.
- LeifCarrotson 5y ago
  It kind of does? I mean, you don't have to be uncomfortable, you can like Bush buy an expensive heat pump to efficiently keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer...but it's more than a bit hypocritical to push the average homeowner with his 3-bedroom ranch to install extra insulation, turn the heat down, and install LED bulbs when your heated pool uses more energy per month than their home uses in a year.
monocasa 5y ago
I'm not seeing heated sidewalks in your citation, and part of the large reason for the bill was that he went out of his way to get the energy from renewable sources back in the early 2000s when that came at a premium from grid suppliers. And his energy bill even then was <$2k/month for a hundred year old ten bedroom mansion which is not that nutty.
- themaninthedark 5y ago
  Look, I try to reduce the amount of energy I use for both environmental reasons as well as to save money. His energy bill amount is not what is staggering, it's his energy usage amount. >that the gas and electric bills for the former vice president's 20-room home and pool house devoured nearly 221,000 kilowatt-hours in 2006, more than 20 times the national average of 10,656 kilowatt-hours. Also, his pool costs almost the same amount as his house per month. >During that time, Nashville Gas Company billed the family an average of $536 a month for the main house and $544 for the pool house in 2006, and $640 for the main house and $525 for the pool house in 2005.
  - monocasa 5y ago
    > His energy bill amount is not what is staggering, it's his energy usage amount. I mean, he was overpaying versus standard energy costs by insisting on renewable sources, so the usage can't be staggering and the bill not be. And your citation show that he's actively taking steps to reduce his energy usage year over year. $640 in 2005 versus $536 in 2006 means he had a >15% year over year reduction in his house's energy bill for a hundred year old house. He's obviously either cutting back actively on energy usage from simply using less, or making investments in his hundred year old house's energy efficiency or (probably) both. Just because he hadn't gotten to the pool yet isn't that big of a deal to me (particularly when he's going out of his way to power that pool usage out of renewable sources).
    - themaninthedark 5y ago
      Sorry, I didn't copy everything but the pool is heated via gas. >Nashville Electric Services records show the Gores in 2006 averaged a monthly electricity bill of $1,359 for using 18,414 kilowatt-hours, and $1,461 per month for using 16,200 kilowatt-hours in 2005. >Nashville Gas Company billed the family an average of $536 a month for the main house and $544 for the pool house in 2006, and $640 for the main house and $525 for the pool house in 2005. I am not aware of a renewable gas service but they might exist. Pulling out his power usage from the electrical breakdown, we can see that he is still using 16,200kwh of power ~1.5 times the national average. I don't care how much he is paying for is energy, I care that he is using energy in a wasteful manner(especially while telling others not to do the same). By excusing him by saying that he because he pays more that it is acceptable is the same as claiming that it is ok for someone pour bio-oil out because it was made using a green process. One of the main reasons that Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church was because they sold indulgences. Meaning, if you were rich and you sinned, you could pay to be forgiven. That is a shitty philosophy, no matter if you view it from a religious, legal or environmental perspective.

And Al Gore famously had a heated pool and sidewalks. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/GlobalWarming/story?id=2906888&page=1 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/GlobalWarming/story?id=29068...

nitrogen 5y ago

Environmentalism doesn't have to equal asceticism.

LeifCarrotson 5y ago
It kind of does? I mean, you don't have to be uncomfortable, you can like Bush buy an expensive heat pump to efficiently keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer...but it's more than a bit hypocritical to push the average homeowner with his 3-bedroom ranch to install extra insulation, turn the heat down, and install LED bulbs when your heated pool uses more energy per month than their home uses in a year.

monocasa 5y ago

I'm not seeing heated sidewalks in your citation, and part of the large reason for the bill was that he went out of his way to get the energy from renewable sources back in the early 2000s when that came at a premium from grid suppliers. And his energy bill even then was <$2k/month for a hundred year old ten bedroom mansion which is not that nutty.

themaninthedark 5y ago
Look, I try to reduce the amount of energy I use for both environmental reasons as well as to save money. His energy bill amount is not what is staggering, it's his energy usage amount. >that the gas and electric bills for the former vice president's 20-room home and pool house devoured nearly 221,000 kilowatt-hours in 2006, more than 20 times the national average of 10,656 kilowatt-hours. Also, his pool costs almost the same amount as his house per month. >During that time, Nashville Gas Company billed the family an average of $536 a month for the main house and $544 for the pool house in 2006, and $640 for the main house and $525 for the pool house in 2005.
- monocasa 5y ago
  > His energy bill amount is not what is staggering, it's his energy usage amount. I mean, he was overpaying versus standard energy costs by insisting on renewable sources, so the usage can't be staggering and the bill not be. And your citation show that he's actively taking steps to reduce his energy usage year over year. $640 in 2005 versus $536 in 2006 means he had a >15% year over year reduction in his house's energy bill for a hundred year old house. He's obviously either cutting back actively on energy usage from simply using less, or making investments in his hundred year old house's energy efficiency or (probably) both. Just because he hadn't gotten to the pool yet isn't that big of a deal to me (particularly when he's going out of his way to power that pool usage out of renewable sources).
  - themaninthedark 5y ago
    Sorry, I didn't copy everything but the pool is heated via gas. >Nashville Electric Services records show the Gores in 2006 averaged a monthly electricity bill of $1,359 for using 18,414 kilowatt-hours, and $1,461 per month for using 16,200 kilowatt-hours in 2005. >Nashville Gas Company billed the family an average of $536 a month for the main house and $544 for the pool house in 2006, and $640 for the main house and $525 for the pool house in 2005. I am not aware of a renewable gas service but they might exist. Pulling out his power usage from the electrical breakdown, we can see that he is still using 16,200kwh of power ~1.5 times the national average. I don't care how much he is paying for is energy, I care that he is using energy in a wasteful manner(especially while telling others not to do the same). By excusing him by saying that he because he pays more that it is acceptable is the same as claiming that it is ok for someone pour bio-oil out because it was made using a green process. One of the main reasons that Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church was because they sold indulgences. Meaning, if you were rich and you sinned, you could pay to be forgiven. That is a shitty philosophy, no matter if you view it from a religious, legal or environmental perspective.