Individually that's one way to look at it that makes sense. On mass scale though, if in 10 years someone can make one that's 50% better, it still behooves the world for the the units of today to last 50 years because even by then you won't have manufactured enough for everyone to have heat pump, let alone the most current one. Another way to think about it is imagine if instead of your unit dying in 10 years when you got a more efficient one you sold it to someone who didn't have one yet.
In general though, it's more the idealogy that gets me. It would be so easy to do a little more work to make things repairable, to use common parts, and ultimately create units that could last decades instead of lasting until an electric board has a short from dust or a pump predictably dies just outside of warranty, taking out an otherwise perfectly functional unit. It's just not viewed as the most profitable way, atleast not with how most people buy things today.
I think it could be profitable though, if you get enough people that can do the math and realize that over a lifetime it's cheaper than I think you could make that work. Additionally, it's not just about the cost over time but what happens when failures inevitably happen. Try having a repair done on any appliance today under warranty. First you have to go through the company and you get whoever they send and then you need their parts, if they are still available, which often they aren't. If the documentation on how to repair/maintain is opensource then you could potentially get anyone to fix it and if the components are COTS were possible then you aren't screwed when your 5 year old heat pump has an electrical failure because you can just but a new board (raspberry pi lets say) flash the software and install it.
In general though, it's more the idealogy that gets me. It would be so easy to do a little more work to make things repairable, to use common parts, and ultimately create units that could last decades instead of lasting until an electric board has a short from dust or a pump predictably dies just outside of warranty, taking out an otherwise perfectly functional unit. It's just not viewed as the most profitable way, atleast not with how most people buy things today.
I think it could be profitable though, if you get enough people that can do the math and realize that over a lifetime it's cheaper than I think you could make that work. Additionally, it's not just about the cost over time but what happens when failures inevitably happen. Try having a repair done on any appliance today under warranty. First you have to go through the company and you get whoever they send and then you need their parts, if they are still available, which often they aren't. If the documentation on how to repair/maintain is opensource then you could potentially get anyone to fix it and if the components are COTS were possible then you aren't screwed when your 5 year old heat pump has an electrical failure because you can just but a new board (raspberry pi lets say) flash the software and install it.
I'm simplifying but I think you get the idea.