COSTS AND VALUES CALCULATION

PRICES OF PURCHASED EXTERNAL COMPONENTS

In total this should be something about 160€ (170$). The largest part is accounted for by the costs of the filament.

TIME NEEDED

This will be much more, we don't have enough data to be able to make clear statements here, but to build a TVS there are many hours needed so if you consider time as valuable (what you should) then there are also costs to add here. Building a TVS will be probably at least equally as expensive as another ventilation system, maybe even more, as it is bigger and consists of more parts. In addition other manufacturers are more experienced and specialized and therefore are having a more streamlined production process in place. Mass production in assembly line work is generally unbeatable in terms of price.

Theoretically, two types of products (or services) can be differentiated, which respond to two types of needs and are applied to two types of activities: There are boring activities that should be completed quickly and easily and thus be gone in order to have more time for interesting activities that can then be dealt with more intensively. In this simplification, therefore, there are two types of product: products that want to remove boring things more quickly and products that want to make interesting things more interesting. What is perceived as boring or interesting in each case is subjective and depends on the individual. If you are a tinkerer and want to understand how ventilation systems work, then using a TVS might be just the right way for you. If you just want to solve the aforementioned problems as quickly as possible, then you should probably be looking for the other type of product, making things more easily.

Actually, in general, good reasons to put so much work into a product yourself are curiosity, interest and the desire to learn something rather than cost savings. Specialization and the division of labour are in fact quite effective instruments that create the wealth of nations, as Mr Smith already recognized many years ago, and thus also the wealth of the individual. The best way to save money is to do what you do best and only do that. So the real question is, are you willing to pay more (especially in time) because you are so interested in it?


Not deterred yet? Then please go back to PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS.