What are the best practices for life cycle cost analysis of elevators?

2 Estimate the initial costs

The initial costs are the costs of acquiring, installing, and commissioning the elevator system. These include the purchase price, the delivery and transportation costs, the labor and material costs, the taxes and fees, and the contingency and overhead costs. You should use reliable and consistent sources of data, such as quotes, bids, invoices, or historical records, to estimate the initial costs of each alternative. You should also account for any incentives, rebates, or grants that may reduce the initial costs.

3 Estimate the operating costs

The operating costs are the costs of using, maintaining, and repairing the elevator system over its service life. These include the energy costs, the water costs, the maintenance costs, the repair costs, the replacement costs, and the disposal costs. You should use appropriate methods and assumptions to estimate the operating costs of each alternative, such as energy models, maintenance schedules, repair records, or industry standards. You should also consider any externalities, such as carbon emissions, noise pollution, or occupant satisfaction, that may affect the operating costs.

5 Compare and rank the alternatives

The final step in LCCA is to compare and rank the alternatives based on their life cycle costs and other criteria, such as performance, reliability, safety, or aesthetics. You should use a decision matrix or a multi-criteria analysis tool to weigh the different factors and score the alternatives. You should also consider the uncertainty and variability of the inputs and outputs, and use probabilistic methods or Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the range and distribution of the outcomes. You should then select the alternative that has the lowest life cycle cost or the highest net benefit.

6 Use LCCA tools and software

LCCA can be a complex and time-consuming process, which requires a lot of data, calculations, and analysis. Fortunately, there are several tools and software available that can help you perform LCCA of elevators more easily and accurately. Some examples are the Building Life Cycle Cost (BLCC) program, the Elevator Life Cycle Cost Calculator (ELCC), the Life Cycle Cost Analysis Tool (LCAT), and the Elevator Energy Calculator (EEC). These tools can help you input the data, apply the methods, generate the results, and visualize the comparisons of different elevator system alternatives.