Standard Practice for Measuring Life-Cycle Costs of Buildings and Building Systems

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
LCC analysis is an economic method for evaluating a project or project alternatives over a designated study period. The method entails computing the LCC for alternative building designs or system specifications having the same purpose and then comparing them to determine which has the lowest LCC over the study period.
The LCC method is particularly suitable for determining whether the higher initial cost of a building or building system is economically justified by reductions in future costs (for example, operating, maintenance, repair, or replacement costs) when compared with an alternative that has a lower initial cost but higher future costs. If a building design or system specification has both a lower initial cost and lower future costs relative to an alternative, an LCC analysis is not needed to show that the former is the economically preferable choice.
If an investment project is not essential to the building operation (for example, replacement of existing single-pane windows with new double-pane windows), the project must be compared against the “do nothing” alternative (that is, keeping the single pane windows) in order to determine if it is cost effective. Typically the “do nothing” alternative entails no initial investment cost but has higher future costs than the proposed project.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice establishes a procedure for evaluating the life-cycle cost (LCC) of a building or building system and comparing the LCCs of alternative building designs or systems that satisfy the same functional requirements.
1.2 The LCC method measures, in present-value or annual-value terms, the sum of all relevant costs associated with owning and operating a building or building system over a specified time period.
1.3 The basic premise of the LCC method is that to an investor or decision maker all costs arising from an investment decision are potentially important to that decision, including future as well as present costs. Applied to buildings or building systems, the LCC encompasses all relevant costs over a designated study period, including the costs of designing, purchasing/leasing, constructing/installing, operating, maintaining, repairing, replacing, and disposing of a particular building design or system.

General Information

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Historical
Publication Date
30-Sep-2005
Technical Committee
Drafting Committee
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NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information
An American National Standard
Designation: E 917 – 05
Standard Practice for
Measuring Life-Cycle Costs of Buildings and Building
1
Systems
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 917; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
Several methods of economic evaluation are available to measure the economic performance of a
building or building system over a specified time period. These methods include, but are not limited
to, life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis, the benefit-to-cost ratio, internal rate of return, net benefits,
payback, multiattribute decision analysis, risk analysis, and related measures (see Practices E 964,
E 1057, E 1074, E 1121, E 1765, and E 1946). These methods differ in their measure and, to some
extent, in their applicability to particular types of problems. Guide E 1185 directs you to the
appropriate method for a particular economic problem. One of these methods, life-cycle cost (LCC)
analysis, is the subject of this practice.The LCC method sums, in either present-value or annual-value
terms, all relevant costs associated with a building or building system over a specified time period.
Alternative (mutually exclusive) designs or systems for a given functional requirement can be
compared on the basis of their LCCs to determine which is the least-cost means of satisfying that
requirement over a specified study period.
1. Scope 2. Referenced Documents
2
1.1 This practice establishes a procedure for evaluating the 2.1 ASTM Standards:
life-cycle cost (LCC) of a building or building system and E 631 Terminology in Building Constructions
comparing the LCCs of alternative building designs or systems E 833 Terminology of Building Economics
that satisfy the same functional requirements. E 964 Practice for Measuring Benefit-to-Cost and Savings-
1.2 The LCC method measures, in present-value or annual- to-Investment Ratios for Buildings and Building Systems
value terms, the sum of all relevant costs associated with E 1057 Practice for Measuring Internal Rate of Return and
owning and operating a building or building system over a Adjusted Internal Rate of Return for Investments in Build-
specified time period. ings and Building Systems
1.3 The basic premise of the LCC method is that to an E 1074 Practice for Measuring Net Benefits and Net Sav-
investor or decision maker all costs arising from an investment ings for Investments in Buildings and Building Systems
decision are potentially important to that decision, including E 1121 Practice for Measuring Payback for Investments in
future as well as present costs.Applied to buildings or building Buildings and Building Systems
systems, the LCC encompasses all relevant costs over a E 1185 Guide for Selecting Economic Methods for Evalu-
designated study period, including the costs of designing, ating Investments in Buildings and Building Systems
purchasing/leasing, constructing/installing, operating, main- E 1369 Guide for Selecting Techniques for Treating Uncer-
taining, repairing, replacing, and disposing of a particular tainty and Risk in the Economic Evaluation of Buildings
building design or system. and Building Systems
1
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E06 on Perfor-
2
mance of Buildings and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E06.81 on For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
Building Economics. contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
Current edition approved Oct. 1, 2005. Published November 2005. Originally Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
approved in 1983. Last previous edition approved in 2002 as E 917 – 02. the ASTM website.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
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E917–05
E 1765 Practice forApplying theAnalytical Hierarchy Pro- effective. Typically the “do nothing” alternative entails no
cess (AHP) to Multiattribute Decision Analysis of Invest- initial investment cost but has higher future costs than the
ments Related to Buildings and Building Systems proposed project.
E 1946 Practice for Measuring Cost Risk of Building and
6. Procedure
Building Systems
6.1 Follow these steps in calculating the LCC for a building
E 2204 Guide for Summarizing the Economic Impacts of
Building-Related Projects or building system:
6.1.1 Identify objectives, alternatives, and constraints (see
2.2 ASTM Adjuncts:
3
Discount Factor Tables, Adjunct to Practice E 91
...

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