How come being eco effecient cost a fortune?
Answer:
Right now these eco-friendly products are fairly new, or in higher demand then they've ever been, and that's why the prices are high, but they are bound to go down. There are many eco efficient measures you can take though that don't cost much money at all. Also consider how much you will save by installing some of the eco-friendly features or driving a hybrid car - in some cases the amount you will save makes up for the higher price you pay, AND you're saving the environment at the same time! One more point: It is almost always much cheaper to build a green home then a traditional one, if research is done, the project is planned out, and all involved know what they are doing. The extra expense comes in when trying to turn a traditional building into an eco friendly one, but this is the price we have to pay if we want a more healthy and sustainable environment.
it's the trendy thing to be green nowadays. Companies can charge b/c of that. Hopefully, the trend won't go away and prices will lower.
It's because the movement and ideas are so new, there's not a lot of infrastructure to support eco-friendly energy. It's like how a new computer used to cost $3,000 back when PC's for home use were so newfangled. Now you can get a good household PC for $600. Progress, infrastructure and commonality all make goods less expensive over time.
It costs more because there is less demand for it. They more consumers demand green products, the cheaper they will become.
I couldn't agree with you more. They ask us to be more eco friendly but they didn't tell us it would cost so much to do a good thing.
Actually, looked at as a long term investment, being "eco efficient" is actually quite profitable.
Check out Godo Stoyke's book, 'The Carbon Busters Home Energy Handbook' for a list of conservation tips, as well as a financial breakdown on each that included payback period and annual return on investment.
His basic argument is that investing in energy efficiency outperforms the stock market by about 400%.
A good example would be the CFL lightbulbs everyone it talking about. Although they may cost more up front, over their lifetime each bulb will save you $25 or so. Another good example is weatherstripping, caulking, and insullation - all have an absolutely fantastic return on investment. When you get to solar panels, you're correct that the return becomes less positive, but its important to remember that there are hundreds of things we can do before we get to that level.
Well the solar technology does need to come down in price, I'll give you that, but the tech has to develop further, and is being developed further, from solar panels that can bend to high efficiency solar panels, it is coming, and the prices will drop. But it is an industry that was sort of neglected until late, so they didn't have the funding to do the research to make better products to bring down the price.
As for the hybrid car, I'm thinking of getting one over here, just because of gas prices. The hybrid seemed unafordable a couple years back, now it seems like a necessity, yikes.
But you know what, it's a process. Buy what you can, and do your best, that's all any of us can do. Higher costs aren't a reason to not do the right thing, it just means we have to do it more slowly.
However for home energy, you can sign on with a green power company, here we have http://bullfrogpower.ca
They pump power into the grid from green sources to offset your use, no fancy new wiring or anything. It's a tad more expensive, but it does mean no carbon footprint for all your home energy use, which is pretty good.
Let's use an analogy - which is going to take more time, effort, and expense: keeping your home clean, tidy, and livable, or ignoring the dirt and trash and letting it pile up until no one can stand to come anywhere near your place? Industry is much the same way. If they ignore the pollution and waste they and their products produce, less effort needs be made, and so the price is lower. On the other hand, if they go to the extra effort to produce an environmentally friendly product, it's gonna cost more.
So, where do you want to take the hit - in your pocketbook, or in the world you and your descendants have to live in?
Here is a great article with tips about how to eat organic without paying a fortune. http://www.newdream.org/living_green/arc...
The reasons why eco"friendly" technologies cost a fortune are:
1)Companies are in business to make money.
2)The techniques required to make these technologies are extremely sophisticated and required a lot of R&D. You need to pay the scientists for the use of thier minds.
3)The methods used to manufacture these devices is extremely resource intensive and require specialized equipment, which is also resource intensive and expensive to make.
4)Some of the byproducts are extremely toxic. It's expensive to dump toxic waste!
Hmmmm...doesn't sound so eco "friendly" does it.
because the transition is slow, so theres few demands for these products plus your paying for the intrinsic cost as well, the factory that makes these eco friendly stuff like lightbulbs are not gonna have scrubbers that are like 50% effecient , theyre gonna have the latest technology to help them reduce air pollution, and thats included in the external cost
Everything is new now and just starting to change. Think of it how many car companies have a hybrid car and of the ones who do only one car out of 20 is hybrid. The need isn't fully there for all of this stuff but once it is prices will go straight down. Also the technology isn't there now the hybrid cars are kind of a pain from what I understand to fix them. But in 5-10 years they will be just like any other car if not better with no problems. But the good thing is, is that you will already be ready for the changing times when everyone else will be trying to catch up.
I keep asking, "if companies really cared why would they make the prices so high?"
I have a friend who used to work for a car company, and she said they told her that the government is putting high taxes on the parts of the hybrid which is forcing the companies to sell them for a lot of money to make it all back. Sad really...
There are things you can do, though, to help stop global warming without paying a fortune.
it as we are living in an uneco society, otherwise the cost of solar panels and hybrids would be a lot lower...
The main expense and draw back of current methods of solar panels is using silicon in making them...
The prices are set to reduce dramatically...
It is just as at the moment these eco friendly products are only meeting a minority of the poulations energy needs although the race is on to make cheap hybrid cars and cheaper renewable energies such as solar panels, to make available to the average consumer..
However any self-sufficent change bring back more indepedance in an economic sense, as it makes people less vulnerable to hikes in electricity prices and oil prices.
It is often just the upfront costs of hybrids and solar panels that stop them from taking up the technology.
There are banks and credit unions that do low interest loans for green friendly cars and modifications to the home such as solar panels.
It is the running cost over time is where you save your money and put tax free money back into your pocket...
With hybrids being at 50mpg at least you will never raise an eyebrow at fuel prices again.
this is a new technology and is being pushed hard by these company's and until someone else steeps in there profits are all that matters. i doubt if they care about saving the earth as much as they do about making there bank accounts larger.
There are few makers for the technologies. And when the technologies are not made on a mass scale they become expensive.
Normally the more you make of something the cheaper it can be made due to production efficiencies and the ability to make enough profit to support the business.
I think eventually certain products will get cheaper. We are seeing some things get cheaper in that regards.
solar calculators
solar landscaping lights
solar attic vent fans
eco-friendly flashlights (LED, flashlights that light by shaking)
lighted construction road signs
Home associations could be a big hinderance to some of the technologies. I know my home association won't allow solar panels on the house roofs.
because most green appliances and products are mainstream or massed produced. it is an emerging trend.
an example of what i mean:
in 1998 i went to Comdex in Las Vegas, Nevada. There were all kinds of interesting computer technologies being offered.
I was quoted on a price for a demo version of a 15x DVD/CD writing drive writing drive at $2000 bucks. why was it so much? because the technology was just emerging and it wasn't being mass produced yet.
2 years later i stated seeing them on retailer shelves for less than $300.
this is what is currently going on right now with green technology.
If the companies percieve it as a trend, which they currently do, they will not mass produce and charge wealthy people large sums of $$ for the stuff. then when they see that the trend is becoming a more mainstream way of life, they begin mass producing and the prices come down.
With some things, the research and development used to create the product cost a lot of money and they charge a high price at first to recoup the cost. Sometimes it is also because they fear the product will not become popularly used, so they charge more in hopes of making a profit before the item is taken from the shelves. Have you ever noticed how quickly big stores decide to remove an item that is not constantly selling out. Sometimes they feature a new item several times and watch it sell out each time before they decide to keep it on as a regular item. Eco-friendly items were in high demand in the 90's, but people balked at the cost. Terribly, most of the items were taken off the shelves. In truth, the price might have dropped after a while, had people just given it time.
What I would like to see, though, is a group dedicated to putting eco-friendly items out at competitive prices-- even lower than the regular items' prices. The government should even be paying people to go that route, really, giving discounts and higher returns for eco-friendly people. That would be a good idea, anyway.
because it hasnt become profitable yet. As more and more people buy the product then companies will be willing to lower prices. Also many of these products have a high upfront cost but in the long run will still save you money from years of savings.
Solar panels are fairly expensive to manufacture and their efficiency is a bit on the low side, so it is not the most cost effective way to save energy at the moment. But as production ramps up and costs come down, it will become more feasible.
In some resepcts, there is a certain amount of greeed associated with energy conservation.
With automobiles, dealers have always marked up the prices of high-demand vehicles. Now that energy efficient vehicles are in high demand, they demand higher than sticker prices.
As an example, Last week I priced a 2006 VW Jetta diesel. Gets 40 MPG. The dealer was asking $3,500 over sticker for the car and he may well get it from some fool even though the higher price almost eliminates the benefit of the improved fuel economy.
If every new car were a fuel efficient vehicle, there would be no fuel efficiency markup because we would have more choices.
Best bet is to do things that cost less and have good paybacks. Insulate your home. If you have to buy a new air conditioning system, buy a high SEER unit. Use a good thermostat and consider if you can live with the temperature one or two degrees higher in summer or lower in winter. Turn down the temp on your water heater. Use CFL bulbs.
In the next 5-10 yrs the prices should go down to reasonable levels.
It is just like with any new product/technology. The prices starts high and then go down later due to factors like learning curve effect, economies of scale, competition, development of cheaper materials/manufacturing methods, etc.
In 1994, I paid 1500$ for a 486 computer with 32 MB of ram. Now 13 yrs later I get I can get a very decent computer for under 700$.
When DVD players for first came out, they sold for 100s of dollars. Now you can get them for 10s of dollars.
Cars will not get that cheap. But I think that you get the point.
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