> On 11/09/2012 08:52 AM, Paul Anderson wrote: > > Dear David and Crispin, > > And where the wages are less than $100 per month (and some of that > money is for a reasonable meal during the work day), the labor > component is almost negligible compared to the costs of new (not scrap) sheet metal. > > When the stove is ceramic/fired clay, the clay can be cheap but there are > the costs of firing it and then transporting it. So the labor still adds > only a relatively low amount to the stove. > > Can these low-income workers (yes, they have a job and they are better off > than those without any work) afford a $25 stove? That would be a week of > wages. > > Would any of us who live in the affluent societies pay one week of wages > for a stove? That might depend on your income!!! And we have > discretionary money far above the money needed for food and lodging. > > Paul > > > In the USA, many stoves cost between $400 and $2,000 (US dollars), and > the mean seems to be about $1,000. That implies $1,500 in income > before taxes. Which implies an average income of $78,000 annually or > $6,500 per month if a stove is one week's income. While I feel this > is high, it is pretty close, 1 week's income for a stove is not unbelievable. > > Yes, those of us who live in an affluent society DO pay 1 week's > income for a stove, and then pay a fraction of that every month for > fuel or energy to run it. > > Dave Dear Paul, Dave and others who have contributed to this interesting discussion
I found extremely poor people in South Africa, <$100 per household per month (mainly State assistance), keen to pay $500 and upwards for a coal-burning stove (well, actually, originally designed as a wood-burning stove but dragged into use for coal). Cast iron, fireclay lined, with a chimney and dampers to control air flow, three or four spaces for pots closed with cast iron circles when not in use, and an oven for baking. Many had recently come from rural farms to town, and were living in temporary homes built of sheet iron and found materials. The stove was their first major investment, and there was a local microfinance system via the coal merchants enabling them to purchase it. They were not interested in cheap cookstoves! The $500+ stove had come to represent social status, as well as meeting a wide variety of household needs, cooking, water heating, garbage disposal, space heating, and a social focus to the home that even neighbours could come and share. There was a flourishing trade in second-hand stoves and in spare parts, particularly grates and chimney pieces. Some people had small businesses baking bread for stoveless neighbours, or making jam, or even running play schools on really cold winter days when other homes were really too cold for infants. I think the lesson is clear - if you just focus on cooking, you may be missing something. The first criterion must be to meet people's needs, and it may be much more than cooking. Some stove designs even miss the essential demand for simmering, so they fail the very first test of acceptability - you can't even use them for cooking. Yes, cost is a factor, but not necessarily a driver. Hope that helps. Best regards to all Philip Lloyd _______________________________________________ Stoves mailing list to Send a Message to the list, use the email address [email protected] to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org for more Biomass Cooking Stoves, News and Information see our web site: http://www.bioenergylists.org/
