ThirstyBarbarian
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- Feb 11, 2013
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This is all "probably" true but...
When I read the post I asked myself; "why does 'new' building standards cost more than old building standards?" From a practical perspective, they don't, their just different. So you have to ask yourself why would it be more expensive? They are different but not more costly...unless...there is an agenda associated with it. That falls on government for making overreaching regulations, contractors for taking advantage of the mandates and manufacturers for doing the same. In a sense, the gov is providing an opportunity for builders/manufacturers to increase prices due to their mandates. (Cynical Mode: Off)
There other question that popped into my noggin was why is the government allowed to make you incur debt? You said "probably afford to finance" a solar system. Why must I if I don't want to.
I know this are not the intention of your main points, however, it seems there is always another layer to the onion when you start to think about the further reaching impacts of government mandates as in "stove-gate". A reasonable compromise is that if the fed/state/local government mandates something...they pay for it 100% regardless of what "percenter" someone is.
I’m mostly for government building standards, even if it makes a house more expensive. I’m eventually going to have to pay to have my house insulated because my house was built at a time when insulation wasn’t required, so most houses around here built at that time weren’t built with it. And I’m pretty sure if it weren’t required today, they would still be building them that way. If the government didn’t set standards for construction, plumbing, and electrical wiring, we would have a lot more unsafe buildings and buildings that would be more expensive to operate and maintain, even if they cost less up front. If my house had been built with insulation in 1962, it probably would have cost more, but there would have been 60 years of savings on utility bills.
To your point about being forced to finance a solar power system, I never suggested anyone should be forced to do so, and I have never heard anything suggesting anyone will be. My post was a reply to the complaint that only the “top 5%” can afford the things I’ve chosen to upgrade in my home that can save money over time, like solar power or hybrid/EV cars. The suggestion was that only rich people can afford to save money that way. So my point about financing (as in taking out a loan) for a solar power system is that the loan payments are less than the utility payments they replace, so financially it’s a no-brainer. No one is saying you must save money that way, just that in a lot of cases, it’s a very affordable investment that can save you money from day one, and it’s accessible to most people, not just rich people.