Posted by
Daniel Crandall on Friday, June 27, 2008 12:29:02 PM
The story of two homes. One is owned by a true environmentalist. The other by a selfish busy-body. Who owns what?
The answer is here.
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. ... This house consumes 25% of the energy of an average American home.
That homeowner must really care about the environment. What about this one?
This 20-room, 8-bathroom house consumes more electricity every month
than the average American household uses in an entire year. The average
household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-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. ... 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.
What an Energy Hog! Would anyone listen to this homeowner pontificate on environmental matters? Uh... sadly, yes, people would not only listen to this pig, but they'd give him awards praising his work on the behalf of the environment.
Maybe we should heed this sage advice, eh?