How come being eco effecient cost a fortune?

Question

OK so you 're an eco freak and you want to get a solar panel, however, you suddenly faint at the price of just one, not even thinking about that hybrid car you wanted that will in short make you homeless. So I just want to know why the high prices . If the world is so set on having a eco world then why make it so hard to acheive.

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

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.

Answer 9

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.

Answer 10

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.