Going Green at the Texas Governor’s Mansion
Photo by Filipa Rodrigues/KUT News
Governor Rick Perry speaks at the unveiling of the remodeled Texas Governor's Mansion on July 18, 2012.
Four years after a fire bomb nearly incinerated the entire building, the Texas Governor’s Mansion is rebuilt and running. And you may be surprised to learn that it boasts several new eco-friendly features.
“I think it’s not unlike the State of Texas having a diverse portfolio of energy,” Governor Rick Perry said at a tour of the restoration last week. “The Governor’s Mansion could be a showcase for that.”
As Jay Root reports in the Texas Tribune, there are 53 wells reaching 300 feet below the mansion for a geothermal heat pump that will help heat and cool the building. And solar panels on the roof will help heat most of the mansion’s water.
“Both solar and geothermal are some of the energy sources of the future,” Perry said at the ceremony. While Texas has a healthy fossil fuel base that adds to the economy, Perry said, it’s good for the state to have a “diverse portfolio” including wind, solar, geothermal and other types of energy.
