"Orgy of Consumption" update
They're still keeping track of how much power Al Gore's house uses.
Utility bills as a whole seem to be down, but electricity still seems to be up.
But this is the important part:
...the Gores participate in the Nashville Electric Service’s Green Power Switch Program, which allows them to buy their electricity from renewable sources like wind power, solar power or methane gas from landfills (the house’s 33 solar panels only supply 4 percent of its power needs, per Kreider.) So any energy they burn won't be burning them a bigger carbon footprint.
There you have it, straight from the High Priest of Environmentalism. If your energy has been officially blessed by Gaia, you can use as much of it as you want! Keep that TV on! Live in that mansion!
Turns out my local power company offers me this indulgence as well. For something like five to ten bucks a month (depending on usage) my own energy can be "blessed" so that my house officially no longer has a carbon footprint.