Tale of Two Houses
Subject: The Tale of Two Homes
Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 19:12:48 -0800
Snopes says this is true.
Subject: Fw: The Tale of Two Homes
A TALE OF TWO HOUSES:
Some can talk the talk but don't bother to
walk the walk.
House 1
The four-bedroom home was planned so that
"every room has a relationship with something in the
landscape that's different from the room next door.
Each of the rooms feels like a slightly different
place." The resulting single-story house is
a paragon of environmental planning.
The passive-solar house is built of
honey-colored native limestone and positioned to
absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior
walkways and walls of the 4,000-square-foot
residence.Geothermal heat pumps circulate water
through pipes buried 300
feet deep in the ground.
These waters pass through a heat exchange
system that keeps the home warm in winter and cool
in summer. A 25,000-gallon underground cistern
collects rainwater
gathered from roof urns; wastewater from
sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into
underground purifying tanks and is also funneled
into the cistern.
The water from the cistern is then used to
irrigate the landscaping around the four-bedroom
home, (which) uses indigenous grasses, shrubs, and
flowers to complete the exterior treatment of the
home. In addition to its minimal environmental
impact, the look and layout of the house reflect one
of the paramount priorities: relaxation.
A spacious 10-foot porch wraps completely
around the residence and beckons the family
outdoors. With few hallways to speak of, family and
guests make their way from room to room either
directly or by way of the porch. "The house doesn't
hold you in. Where the porch ends, there is grass.
There is no step-up at all."
This house consumes 25% of the energy of an
average American home. (Source: Cowboys and Indians
Magazine, Oct. 2002 andChicagoTribune April 2001.)
House 2
This 20-room, 8-bathroom house consumes more
electricity every month than the average American
household uses in an entire year. The average
household inAmericaconsumes 10,656 kilo watt-hours
(kWh) per year, according to the Department of
Energy.
In 2006, this house devoured nearly 221,000
kWh, more than 20 times the national average. Last
August alone, the house burned through 22,619 kWh,
guzzling more than twice the electricity in one
month than an average American family uses in an
entire year.
As a result of this energy consumption, the
average monthly electric bill topped $1,359. Also,
natural gas bills for this house and guest house
averaged $1,080 per month last year. In total, this
house had nearly $30,000 in combined electricity
and natural gas bills for 2006.
(Source: just about anywhere in the news last
month online and on talk radio, but barely on TV.)
*
*
*
*
*
House 1 belongs to George and Laura Bush, in
Crawford, Texas.
House 2 belongs to Al and Tipper Gore, in
Nashville,Tennessee.
ANY QUESTIONS?
|