Hi Philip A very interesting conclusion- as people in business will say, it is not always the costs that matter, it is the additional aspects over the primary purpose that influence a purchase.
Thank you and regards to all Sujoy Chaudhury Kolkata, India On Sat, May 4, 2013 at 4:26 PM, Philip Lloyd <[email protected]> wrote: > Eric Rasmussen asked what "characteristics that make an improved stove, a > sexy, aspirational stove, a stove that women actually want, and use and > cherish, and beg to spend scarce resources to pay for." > > If it helps, my experience in a really low income village may be worth > sharing. It was a recently established village, due to some social > upheavals, and the householders were at the very bottom of the economic > pile, <5% employment, reliant on social grants for survival. Most homes > were of corrugated iron supported on weak beams, and had ridiculous thermal > properties when you considered an environment where temperatures could go > to > -8 deg C overnight in winter. > > Coal was the primary cooking and heating fuel, with found wood and dung > subsidiary fuels, and a bit of paraffin. At the lowest income level, the > coal was burned in open braziers, which were usually lit in the late > afternoon outside where the smoke was lost to atmosphere; only when the > fire > bed was reduced to a mass of glowing coals was it brought indoors and used > for the evening meal and to heat the home. Indoor air pollution was > terrible. > > One of the first investments was a cast-iron stove of a wood-burning design > originating (I think) in the US in the 1870's. The patterns are still > around, and there is a thriving market in spare parts for this design. New > stoves could cost up to $800; a second-hand one cost at least $300. There > was an established microfinance scheme that allowed users to buy one for > only $10/month - apparently for ever! Certainly one user of an expensive > model was still paying after ten years. > > The advantages were numerous - the fact that the stove had a chimney meant > far cleaner indoor air; you could cook, heat water, bake, heat the iron, > keep the home warm during the night, burn rubbish and, above all, invite > your friends to come and share in your success. It was this last which > emerged as almost the most important feature - possession of such a stove > declared your social status to the community. > > This is just one example, and is not, of course, universally applicable. > It > happens to be widespread where coal is readily available cheaply - within > about 150km of the coal mines. But it does illustrate how it is possible > that, if you can really meet people's needs, they will find a way to get > your appliance, however much it costs. > > Regards to all > > Philip Lloyd > > Energy Institute > Cape Peninsula University of Technology > PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000 > Tel:021 460 4216 > Fax:021 460 3828 > Cell: 083 441 5247 > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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://stoves.bioenergylists.org/ > >
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