Jevon’s Paradox: Household Appliances

As technology inevitably and continuously evolves, companies are innovating products to make life more efficient for its customers. Business have been revitlized through online stores, marketing, and communication. Aside from the economy, society as a whole has never been more interconnected. But what happens when you get off work, end your social interactions, and arrive to your room, apartment, condo or house?

The first instance of Jevon’s Paradox came with the introduction of houses powered by electricity rather than gas or oil. In the early 1920 only the rich had these homes, but by the end of the decade more than 68% of all homes and neighborhoods where connected to “the grid.” In turn, a huge amount of development took place causing massive amounts of emissions through the construction of streetlights, telephone lines, sewage system, and eventually air conditioning.

Today, energy-efficient home appliances are evolving in their popularity and variations. From the lights and heating to the doorbell, every aspect of your residence can be turned into a “smart home”. Advertised with the incentive of saving energy and money there has been a predicted compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1% from 2023 to 2030. This growth represents more materials being used to make the machines, more water and electricity to power them, and more involvement from the supply chain.