
Al Gore's Home Energy Use Surges Up to 34 Times the National Average - lsh123
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA679.html
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rocktronica
[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/National_Center_for_Pub...](http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/National_Center_for_Public_Policy_Research)

Regardless of its veracity, I'd rather not have ExxonMobil-funded propaganda
on HN.

~~~
mcappleton
That is low man. It's like saying: "I don't care if you're right. I don't like
you so I'm not listening."

But if that's how you feel, I think there is reason to like Exxon.

ExxonMobile has done an unbelievable amount of good for the modern world,
which li was built on and runs on oil. Everything you have, from the food you
eat at the grocery store, to the house you live in, was produced or
transported using oil. Even tesla cars are built with materials that are
shipped with oil. There is just no other energy store we have that is as
abundant and efficient and versatile as oil at this point. Yes it's caused a
bunch of pollution but I think the world is still better for it.

~~~
excitom
No, it's saying "this source is known for biased corporate propaganda so take
that into account when evaluating the content".

~~~
mcappleton
He didn't say that. He said he didn't want their content anywhere on hacker
news.

Getting a heads up that content may be biased is great. But that's a lot
different from censoring it altogether.

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salgernon
"the day after his panicky global warming film"

This is a really amateurish attempt to smear Gore and the renewable energy
movement in general.

I realize that different groups have different opinions and agendas, but this
kind of hit piece is really only going to appeal to those that are already
true believers - who will then go on to repeat it. (This is true on both the
left and the right - but this article just dripped with unnecessary sneers.)

~~~
synicalx
> This is a really amateurish attempt to smear Gore and the renewable energy
> movement in general.

I'd be more inclined to call it warranted criticism - he fully deserves to be
called on this. As for a 'smear' of renewable energy, Gore has done that all
by himself by spending who knows how much on renewable energy sources for his
own home only to have them provide around 12.5% of his power "needs".

Over a long period of time he;

1\. Consumed an absurd amount of energy, whilst simultaneously telling people
worldwide not to do that exact thing.

2\. He was called on that, and as a result took all sorts of (very positive)
steps to reduce his consumption - solar panels, all sorts of crazy insulation,
even geothermal heating.

3\. Several years later, he's somehow managed to consume even more energy
whilst living in the same house and AFTER taking all sorts of steps to reduce
his consumption.

If it was one month, or a couple of months even (maybe he's billed quarterly?)
then I'd say that's fair enough. I get surprise power bills every now and then
as well. But this is years worth of him getting ever increasing bills and
saying "Yep, that's fine no problems here".

Imagine if some other "famous" person went around telling people how to live
their lives, and then did the exact opposite. Beatles throwing a fundraising
concert for the NRA? Mandela taking up recreational racial segregation? Dr
Phil going around punching people he disagreed with etc etc

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jkmcf
This is comparing apples to oranges. Gore is rich, has a big house, a pool,
etc. Of course his house is going to consume more energy than the average. He
does claim to try and live a carbon neutral life. If he does, should it matter
how much electricity he uses?

I'm more concerned about whether he still flies on private charter jets vs the
Southwest jets he claims to fly. I find it hard to believe he flies coach...

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Powerofmene
This could have been summed up with one sentence, "Just like most people on
earth today, former VP Al Gore does not always practice what he preaches."

~~~
synicalx
"Just like most people on earth today, former VP Al Gore apparently never
practices what he preaches."

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wmccullough
I get the obvious analogy here, but this isn't productive. This is tantamount
to two people calling one another hypocrites in church while the townsfolk are
starving to death. The battle will be helped in suburbia, but won on highways,
reducing factory farming, and solving industrial transport.

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synicalx
Everyone seems totally ok with this, I can't really understand why though?

Back in 2007 he was called on his absurd energy consumption and pledged he was
going to do something about it. That right there, in isolation, is fine - he
got busted doing (literally) the exact thing he was telling everyone else not
to do and said he was going to fix it. Cool no worries, nice one Al.

Since then, not only is it still happening but it's gotten an order of
magnitude worse AFTER he's taken fairly drastic steps to make his house
'green'.

I mean at the very least, shouldn't we be just a little pissed at him for
this?

~~~
kthejoker2
I'm not upset per se but it is troubling that with his vast resources and
seemingly good faith effort he was unable to make any dent at all in his
energy consumption. It certainly makes it seem impossible to achieve for
someone with lesser means.

It is probably a bit unfair to say he lives there alone, though, aim sure he
hosts a lot of parties, fundraisers, etc. And he has a security detail which
probably also requires lots of electricity. And so on.

I would of course as a data person be extremely interested in these details.

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RickJWagner
And Leonardo DiCaprio is no better.

Gore, DiCaprio and others are obviously concerned about changing YOUR
behavior, but not theirs.

This makes me want to turn up my air conditioner another notch.

