On Monday, a conservative group called the Tennessee Center for Policy Research circulated a press release claiming that Mr. Gore’s Nashville mansion consumed nearly 221,000 kilowatt hours in 2006, “more than 20 times the national average” of 10,656 kilowatt-hours. Matt Drudge was one of the first on the Web to jump on the release. Much blogging ensued.
But the Associated Press reported that TCPR hadn’t actually contacted the Nashville Electric Service for energy consumption in Mr. Gore’s 10,000-foot mansion. The true numbers, as dug up by the AP, are still jaw-dropping, however: 191,000 kilowatt-hours, compared with 15,500 for a typical Nashville home.
