Gore Called a Hypocrite Over His Own Energy Consumption

LOS ANGELES — Vice President Gore, whose environmental activism inspired the Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," has been accused of hypocrisy over his own consumption of energy.

A research group in Tennessee, where the former vice president lives, claims that Mr. Gore's 20-room, eight-bathroom home in Nashville consumes more electricity in a month than the average American household uses in a year.

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research said Mr. Gore's house in the Belle Meade area of the city last year consumed nearly 221,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity — more than 20 times the national average.

The group quoted U.S. Department of Energy figures that show the average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours a year.

"As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use," said Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee group.

In his documentary about global warming, which won two Oscars on Sunday night, Mr. Gore, who says he recycles and buys renewable energy credits to offset the pollution that he produces, calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity use.

"Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb," says the Web site for "An Inconvenient Truth." "We have just 10 years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tailspin." The site encourages visitors to calculate how much carbon dioxide they produce each year and take steps to reduce their impact, such as installing energy-efficient light bulbs and insulation, changing thermostat temperatures, and using less hot water.

"By using energy more efficiently at home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30%," the site states. But Mr. Johnson's group claims that since the release of "An Inconvenient Truth," Mr. Gore's energy consumption has actually increased by about 14%. Quoting figures it says were obtained from the Nashville Electric Service, the group alleged that "last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh — guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year.

It estimates the former vice president paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate last year.
Responding to the claims, aides for Mr. Gore said he was taking numerous steps to reduce the carbon footprint in his home. A spokesman said Mr. Gore had signed up for 100% "green" power through a renewable energy program, installed solar panels, compact fluorescent bulbs, and other energy-saving technology at home.

"What Mr. Gore has asked is that every family calculate their carbon footprint and try to reduce it as much as possible," a spokesman said.

"Once they have done so, he then advocates that they purchase offsets, as the Gores do, to bring their footprint down to zero."

Supporters of Mr. Gore said the criticism was politically motivated and that the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, despite claims of being independent and nonpartisan, was "a strongly-leaning Republican organization."