Efficiency with a price tag
Training 1845 minutesappliance payback
You could replace a working appliance with a more efficient one. It costs $120 and may save $3 monthly at your usage level.
Training goal: Compare the extra cost with realistic savings
▶ Play this trainingSituation
1. The old appliance can keep working without repairs.
- Simple payback takes 40 months
- It pays back in a year because savings recur
- Any efficient appliance pays back immediately
2. You move in 12 months and cannot take the appliance. Resale is not available.
- Use all 40 months in the calculation
- Treat the price as a gift to the next resident
- It will not pay back during your use
3. Another appliance must be bought anyway: basic costs $100, efficient $130, saving $2 monthly.
- Compare only consumption, not prices
- Compare the $30 premium and 15-month payback
- Divide the entire $130 by the savings
4. The package’s savings assume twice your usage.
- Recalculate for your actual use
- Keep the advertised figure for convenience
- Use it more to make it pay back
What you will learn
- Compare the premium over a real alternative
- Savings last only while you use the item
- Verify the advertised usage assumption
Your real-life step
For one replacement, calculate premium, monthly savings and your usage horizon.
Questions and answers
Is an efficient appliance always better?
Not necessarily financially. Price, usage and duration matter.
If the old one is broken, count the full price?
To choose between replacements, compare suitable alternatives.
Can the tariff change?
Yes. Test scenarios without treating forecasts as guarantees.
More trainings in this module
- Six portions, four dinners
- A pass that goes unused
- Repair buys useful months
- A higher bill, or more use?
- The shift ends after the bus
- A large pack, a small saving
Numbers are illustrative. A game, not financial advice.