--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it comes to energy, cost isn't…" description: "\"When it comes to energy, cost isn't everything - but it's a lot. Everybody wants cheap power.\" — Jeff Goodell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/jeff-goodell-8272_cheap_when-it-comes-to-energy-cost-isn-t-every_1003471.png" --- # When it comes to energy, cost isn't everything - but it's… ![“When it comes to energy, cost isn't everything - but it's a lot. Everybody wants cheap power.” quote by Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/jeff-goodell-8272_cheap_when-it-comes-to-energy-cost-isn-t-every_1003471.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/jeff-goodell-8272_cheap_when-it-comes-to-energy-cost-isn-t-every_1003471.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/jeff-goodell-8272_cheap_when-it-comes-to-energy-cost-isn-t-every_1003471.png) > “When it comes to energy, cost isn't everything - but it's a lot. Everybody wants cheap power.” [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Energy decisions involve many factors, but cost is a dominant driver for most people seeking power. **In simple terms:** Cost matters most in energy choices. Key Takeaway Consider total value, not just price. Themes energy economics policy consumer behavior Mood pragmatic analytical Type policy economic When to use this quote - household budgeting - industrial procurement - government regulation - renewable adoption Key Concepts price elasticity market dynamics sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance cost with sustainability? - What hidden costs matter most? A Different Perspective Cheap power may compromise reliability or environmental goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap/) [Cheap Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-power-2132557/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Comes Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-energy-647271/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-cost-2132558/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants/) [Wants Cheap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants-cheap-1175346/) ## Related quotes > [Once you got a solar panel on a roof, energy is free. Once we convert our entire electricity grid to green and renewable energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/once-you-got-a-solar-panel-on-a-roof-energy-is-free-once-we-convert/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [“The point is that the overwhelming energy cost associated with food is not in the food itself (the 2,000 food calories a day per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-west/the-point-is-that-the-overwhelming-energy-cost-associated-with-food/) [Geoffrey West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-west/) > [Sorry sweetheart,don't be proud if everyone wants you…cheap items are always in demand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sorry-sweetheart-don-t-be-proud-if-everyone-wants-you-cheap-items-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bitch don't be proud if every guy wants you, cheap items have many buyers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bitch-don-t-be-proud-if-every-guy-wants-you-cheap-items-have-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Big Business wants cheap labor costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/big-business-wants-cheap-labor-costs/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [When it comes to energy policy, I don't think that it's up to the individuals to make energy policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-martenson/when-it-comes-to-energy-policy-i-don-t-think-that-it-s-up-to-the/) [Christopher Martenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-martenson/) > [Sometimes people, their creative drive comes from an energy to try to heal themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/sometimes-people-their-creative-drive-comes-from-an-energy-to-try-to/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [No matter how tired I am, when a great song comes on, I'm full of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqui-holland/no-matter-how-tired-i-am-when-a-great-song-comes-on-i-m-full-of-energy/) [Jacqui Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqui-holland/) > [Coal boosters like to tout coal as cheap and plentiful - well, not anymore. At least not in China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/coal-boosters-like-to-tout-coal-as-cheap-and-plentiful-well-not/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [“Many great opportunities are not cheap; but some cheap opportunities are so great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iveta-cherneva/many-great-opportunities-are-not-cheap-but-some-cheap-opportunities/) [Iveta Cherneva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iveta-cherneva/) > [If cheap immigrant labor is made unavailable, employers can hire Americans at a higher wage, or replace low-wage immigrant workers with technology and automation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/if-cheap-immigrant-labor-is-made-unavailable-employers-can-hire/) [Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [The only way to learn on a zero dollar budget is to talk to people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-only-way-to-learn-on-a-zero-dollar-budget-is-to-talk-to-people/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) ## More by Jeff Goodell > [One thing you can say about nuclear power: the people who believe it is the silver bullet for America's energy problems never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/one-thing-you-can-say-about-nuclear-power-the-people-who-believe-it/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [The biggest tab the public picks up for fossil fuels has to do with what economists call 'external costs,' like the health effects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/the-biggest-tab-the-public-picks-up-for-fossil-fuels-has-to-do-with/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [To understand how quickly we're cooking the planet, we need good data. To have good data, we need good satellites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/to-understand-how-quickly-we-re-cooking-the-planet-we-need-good-data/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [Australia is the only island continent on the planet, which means that changes caused by planet-warming pollution - warmer seas, which can drive stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/australia-is-the-only-island-continent-on-the-planet-which-means-that/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [In the world of energy politics, the sudden vanishing of the word 'coal' is a remarkable and unprecedented event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/in-the-world-of-energy-politics-the-sudden-vanishing-of-the-word-coal/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [The end of coal in Appalachia doesn't mean that America is running out of coal (there's plenty left in Wyoming). But it should end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/the-end-of-coal-in-appalachia-doesn-t-mean-that-america-is-running/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [You think the weather is weird now? Just wait. A new MIT study, just published in a peer-reviewed journal, projects that the Earth could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/you-think-the-weather-is-weird-now-just-wait-a-new-mit-study-just/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [Nowhere has the political power of coal been more obvious than in presidential campaigns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/nowhere-has-the-political-power-of-coal-been-more-obvious-than-in/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [Subsidies are hugely important; they represent America's de facto energy policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/subsidies-are-hugely-important-they-represent-america-s-de-facto/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who also happens to be the 10th richest person in America, with a personal fortune of some $18…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/new-york-city-mayor-michael-bloomberg-who-also-happens-to-be-the-10th/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [“When I asked the mayor if flood insurance rates had gone up after Sandy, he said, “Not really.” This is how disaster relief works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/when-i-asked-the-mayor-if-flood-insurance-rates-had-gone-up-after/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [In the United States, we do a pretty good job of protecting iconic landscapes and postcard views, but the ocean gets no respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/in-the-united-states-we-do-a-pretty-good-job-of-protecting-iconic/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [In the U.S. alone, weather disasters caused $50 billion in economic damages in 2010.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/in-the-u-s-alone-weather-disasters-caused-50-billion-in-economic/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [Among all the tests President Obama faced in his first term, his biggest failure was climate change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/among-all-the-tests-president-obama-faced-in-his-first-term-his/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [President Obama is in no danger of being judged by history as an eco-radical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/president-obama-is-in-no-danger-of-being-judged-by-history-as-an-eco/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) [Explore all 82 Jeff Goodell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) ## More Cheap quotes > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The only way to learn on a zero dollar budget is to talk to people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-only-way-to-learn-on-a-zero-dollar-budget-is-to-talk-to-people/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [If cheap immigrant labor is made unavailable, employers can hire Americans at a higher wage, or replace low-wage immigrant workers with technology and automation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/if-cheap-immigrant-labor-is-made-unavailable-employers-can-hire/) [Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/) > [“Many great opportunities are not cheap; but some cheap opportunities are so great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iveta-cherneva/many-great-opportunities-are-not-cheap-but-some-cheap-opportunities/) [Iveta Cherneva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iveta-cherneva/) > [“Sorry is so cheap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/sorry-is-so-cheap/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [There would be weeks when I'd just go to Paris on a cheap ticket, sleep on my friend's floor, and just do a show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skepta/there-would-be-weeks-when-i-d-just-go-to-paris-on-a-cheap-ticket/) [Skepta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skepta/) > [Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/never-buy-what-you-do-not-want-because-it-is-cheap-it-will-be-dear-to/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The United States has the best, deepest, widest, and most transparent capital markets in the world which give you, the investor, the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/the-united-states-has-the-best-deepest-widest-and-most-transparent/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [Justice is not cheap. Justice is not quick. It is not ever finally achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/justice-is-not-cheap-justice-is-not-quick-it-is-not-ever-finally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [This MeToo is bothering me much, making me shun TV and newspapers. They are making such wild charges for cheap publicity, claiming something happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sowcar-janaki/this-metoo-is-bothering-me-much-making-me-shun-tv-and-newspapers-they/) [Sowcar Janaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sowcar-janaki/) > [I'm sad that my childhood came just slightly before the lithium-ion-battery boom, because I would've killed for the cheap radio-controlled helicopters they have now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-munroe/i-m-sad-that-my-childhood-came-just-slightly-before-the-lithium-ion/) [Randall Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-munroe/) > [Grace is free, but it's not cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/grace-is-free-but-it-s-not-cheap/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [I was a cheap criminal; I did many, many wrongs. I admit that. Of course, if I could tell each person I'm sorry, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hunt/i-was-a-cheap-criminal-i-did-many-many-wrongs-i-admit-that-of-course/) [Mark Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hunt/) [Browse all 618 Cheap quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When it comes to energy, cost isn't everything - but it's a lot. 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