Enviromentally friendly homes

[Texas Transplant]

Got this a little while ago, very interesting reading.



LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHO MAY OWN EACH HOME.



HOUSE # 1:



A 20-room 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 ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern "snow belt," either. It's in the South.



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 contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. 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 winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the 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. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.











HOUSE # 1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.



HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford , Texas . Also known as "the Texas White House," it is the private residence of the President of the United States , George W. Bush.



Wonder why the press doesn't point this out to folks.



Tex

 

[Bill McElroy]

You mean the press doesn't report the truth,..the whole truth,..and nothing but the truth??:blink:

 

[JAMES MOORE]

Since I'm an Hvac Designer I'll dive into this one.

Up front cost for the Ground source heat pump system was probably in the neighbor hood of three to four times as much as the conventional system of Gore. Even though the place is smaller. As is normally the case, up front cost is usually the determing factor in what kind of system you put in, unless you just have more money to spend than you know what to do with.:angry:

 

[Bill McElroy]

Here's a good topic for debate........you won't see this in the paper either!!



Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage

By Chris Demorro

Staff Writer



The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them, their ultimate

 

[Bill McElroy]

LOL....especially when they're dragging behind a boat!!!

 

[Bill McElroy]

If GWB didn't have such a stellar environmental record....Al wouldn't have an Oscar!! LOL

 

[Rich Stern]

Yet the Bush administration's 63-member energy advisory team has 62 members with ties to oil, nuclear, or coal interests. His national energy policy places nuclear power, increased oil and natural gas drilling, and "clean coal" as its cornerstone. The Bush budget takes a definitive step away from developing renewable energy resources. According to the Pew Research Center, 54 percent of Americans distrust Bush's "muscular energy" environmental agenda. In May, 22 religious leaders were arrested at the Department of Energy protesting Bush's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Actually, this is another point in favor of Bush, although it tries to make it seem otherwise.



Most of us cannot afford the energy efficient design that the Bush ranch exemplifies. The Bush energy policy is designed to REALISTICALLY provide Americans with power they can afford.

 

[Steve Rizza]

I'm converting my truck over to run on baby seals. Once all of the ice melts, we'll need to figure out a way to dispose of them anyhow.



It's a win win situation.......... well, maybe not for the seals,but I'm an Evil Republican so I don't care.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Side note: if you want to "keep it to fishing" say that and stop! You can't write ten paragraphs and then ask people not to respond.. I'm not going to respond because, as another evil republican, I don't care.



Uncle Billy

 

[Greg Meyer]

This "place" has always allowed, even encouraged "civil discourse". So, it will probably never be strictly fishing, because, like the big extended family that we are here... we can, and do, respectfully discuss things that matter or concern us. I for one, enjoy the fact that while I am passionate in ,my politics, I can find different, usually logically supported, points of view here posted by rational and "civil" people. "We" tend to run off anyone who posts in a negative way. So, so long as it is posted in a rational way... (as silly as it would be...) suuport for Al Gore's movie will be tolerated (ridiculed by me..but tolerated).



All kidding aside. I will listen to something that I probably disagree with. if it is posted here because of the nature and tenor of this site.



And, heaven help anyone who dares to attack one of "us from here", regardless of the basis of the attack, because first and foremost, this is a collection of friends and good acquaintances. So, no personal attacks of any kind will be tolerated... We will sick CIII on them to "put out an eye"....:wacko:

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Hey Chris, I understand and really wasn't "throwing punches" at you.. I know you didn't "write" those paragraphs but you did post them and then added the side note.. To me that sounded like you wanted your say, even if it was cut & pasted, but didn't want anyone else to answer? I don't like the bashing either even if it's equal bashing. Anyway Chris, I truly wasn't "yelling" at you or anything like that and I hope you believe me because it's true.

Thanks,



Uncle Billy

 

[Texas Transplant]

Well, my apologies, but I only got that part that was posted. And it was lableled 'off topic'.



Agreed, that some of the policy decisions made by President Bush don't set well with everyone (but then again which ones do), but the big item that hardly anyone wants to talk about is the 'cost' of doing the 'right thing'. I could build and live in a very environmentally friendly home, but I don't have the dollars to do it. Not fiscally feasible for me. In many cases, not economically feasible for the country/businesses either.



I've ridden in one of those Pirus vehicles last year on a short 'in-town slow trip'. Hardly ever ran on the battery. And I doubt that it did much when driven back and forth to work. However, the person that owned it loved it since it was such a 'green vehicle'. She is big into the environment, Greenpeace, and such. She liked it, and could afford the extra dollars it cost to purchase.



Tex

 

[Bill McElroy]

aahhh,....never mind..LOL.