At $7000, it doesnât sound very green. A price-tag like that implies a huge amount of manufacturing and energy used. Maybe that makes sense if itâs built really tough for lasting long-term in a 24-hour gym, but for home use it seems like it must be counter-productive.
The greenest manufacturers are located in Guangdong province. I know this because of their very low prices.
In the USA, 20A requires a special plug, with one blade turned sideways. If the device does not have that plug, it does not require 20A.
If the circuit is not dedicated, then 20A is reasonable even if the device only uses a 15 amp plug.
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Your sarcasm doesnât affect the point. Products are only greener if their lifetime footprint is smaller - including their manufacturing footprint. This treadmill seems like it has a lot of additional energy-intensive and manufacturing-intensive stuff in it and all this comes for a large price. (It also generates power at a price hundreds of times higher than that of solar). If the extra money this device costs is mostly for those extra parts, then itâs deceptive to call it greener because the lifetime footprint will be larger. If the price is mostly naked markup, then it might be greener. If the price is mostly for increased durability for long-term gym use, then it will be greener if used long-term in a gym, and the opposite if used for home use. Etc. But if you buy a cheaper treadmill that is greener for home use, and then spend the difference on airfare for a weekend getaway, well, then maybe the expensive treadmill becomes the greener option again⌠
Itâs like how grid-tied solar power is greener than just using the grid, while off-grid solar with battery is worse than just using the grid. Context matters. Using something differently affects how green it is. Lusting after something because itâs greener in one context, when youâre going to be using it in another context⌠itâs a simple enough oversight, but self-defeating and so worth keeping an eye out for.
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The NEC allows you to install a 15A receptacle on a 20A branch circuit if it is the only device on the circuit.
However, itâs entirely possible the gym owner picked up a 20A receptacle from Home Depot and wired it in himself when he saw the funny-looking plug on the treadmill.
Thatâs the thing with dumb electrical problems - the problem you see means thereâs 8 other problems you donât; and you canât make any assumptions about how closely the people who did it adhered to best practices.
You obviously donât peruse the labor intensive luxury goods market much. âCraft madeâ lamp and furniture items coming from small green shops in Brooklyn are often 5 figures.
Do you think treadmills are labor-intensive âcraft madeâ luxury goods? I consider them mass-market devices, but even so, I didnât rule that out (see my later comment).
I have a manual treadmill that cost around 1.5% of this thing, it works fine. Unlike an electric treadmill you have to supply the energy to keep it moving, and it needs to slope uphill, but if its main function is exercise (and maybe an excuse to watch Buffy) thatâs all good.
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