From: thejerryg@cox.net   
      
   A Tale of 2 houses   
      
      
   >       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 it's 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 and Chicago Tribune 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 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. 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, and is in   
   Crawford,   
   >Texas.   
   >   
   >               House 2 belongs to Al and Tipper Gore, and is in   
   Nashville,   
   >Tennessee.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)