Life Cycle Cost (LCCA) & Carbon Comparison Tool

20-Year CapEx, OpEx, Dual-Chiller Plant, Structural Height Savings & Net Lettable Space Evaluation

2-Chiller & 2-Piping Model Floor-to-Floor & Space Value CO₂ Emissions Tracking

Reference Project Archetypes (Select to Load Benchmark) All costs, chiller configurations, and space parameters can be customized below

1. 1,000 m² Commercial Office

Active

Standard commercial office floor plate operating 10 hrs/day (2,600 EFLH/yr). Compares VAV against Radiant Ceiling + DOAS.

1,000 m² GFA 2,600 EFLH/yr ~35% Energy Saved

2. 300-Room Luxury Hotel

Active

24/7 hospitality operation (18,000 m² GFA, 4,500 EFLH/yr) with dedicated high-temp chiller plant and silent guestroom cooling.

18,000 m² GFA 24/7 Operation Fast Payback (< 2.5 Yrs)

3. 5,000 m² New-Build Tower Floorplate

Active

New-build development capturing slab-to-slab height savings (300 mm/floor) and +1.8% additional Net Lettable Area from smaller shafts.

5,000 m² GFA New-Build Credits Lower Net CapEx + Extra NLA

Net NPV Lifecycle Savings
$248,500
Over 20-Year Horizon

Net CapEx Delta

+$14,000

After New-Build Credits

Annual Energy & OpEx Saved
$16,800/yr
-38% HVAC kWh Reduction

Simple Payback

0.8 Yrs

Immediate if Net CapEx ≤ 0

Lifecycle CO₂ Reduction
512 tCO₂e
25.6 tCO₂e Saved / Year

Extra Lettable Space

+18 m²

Smaller Riser Shafts

1. Project, Plant & Space Parameters

Currency

Conditioned Area (m²)

Analysis Period (Years)

Electricity Tariff ($/kWh)

Peak Cooling Load (W/m²)

Full-Load Hours (EFLH/yr)

2. Chiller & Piping Architecture

Radiant Chiller Plant Configuration

Models 1 High-Temp Chiller (16°C for Radiant) + 1 Low-Temp Chiller (6°C for DOAS) and 2 separate CHW piping networks.

VAV / Low-Temp COP (6°C)

High-Temp Chiller COP (16°C)

Radiant Sensible Load Share (%)

Grid Carbon (kg CO₂/kWh)

3. New-Build Height & Space Savings

Construction Type (Height & Shaft Credits)

Slab Height Saving ($/m²)

~300mm lower floor-to-floor facade/structure saving

Extra Lettable Area Gain (%)

From 70% smaller vertical air shafts

Annual Rent Value ($/m²·yr)

Include Rent in Cashflow?

Discount Rate (%)

Energy Escalation (%/yr)

Adjust any unit rate ($/m²) below. Dedicated Chiller mode explicitly prices 2 chiller setups and 2 piping systems.

HVAC & Building Subsystem	VAV ($/m²)	Radiant ($/m²)	VAV Total	Radiant Total
1a. Low-Temp Chiller Plant (6°C CHWS) VAV: 100% capacity \| Radiant: DOAS dehumidification chiller			$68,000	$32,000
1b. Dedicated High-Temp Chiller Plant (16°C CHWS) 2nd Chiller Setup dedicated to sensible radiant cooling			$0	$48,000
2a. Primary Low-Temp CHW Piping & Pumps Chilled water risers & distribution to AHU/DOAS coils			$34,000	$18,000
2b. Secondary High-Temp Radiant Piping, Pumps & Manifolds 2nd Piping Network + PEX loops & zone mixing manifolds			$0	$36,000
3. Air Handling Units (VAV AHUs vs Compact DOAS) DOAS air volume is 65–70% smaller than VAV			$52,000	$28,000
4. Sheet-Metal Ductwork, VAV Boxes & Diffusers Downsized ventilation ductwork vs full-sized VAV ducts			$74,000	$26,000
5. Radiant Ceiling Panels / Embedded Hydronic Slabs Sensible radiant terminal surfaces			$0	$72,000
6. BMS Controls, Dew-Point Sensors & Commissioning			$24,000	$28,000
Subtotal Mechanical HVAC CapEx	$252/m²	$288/m²	$252,000	$288,000
7. New-Build Floor-to-Floor Height Saving Credit ~300 mm slab-to-slab reduction per floor (curtain wall & structure savings)	$0/m²	-$22/m²	$0	-$22,000
Net Construction CapEx (After Structural Height Credit)	$252/m²	$266/m²	$252,000	$266,000

Annual Energy, Maintenance & Space Metric	All-Air VAV	Radiant + DOAS	Annual Saving / Benefit
1. Chiller Plant Electricity (kWh/yr) Dual-Chiller weighted COP vs single 6°C chiller	77,380 kWh	61,150 kWh	16,230 kWh
2. Supply & Return Fan Electricity (kWh/yr) 68% air volume reduction with decoupled DOAS	42,000 kWh	13,000 kWh	29,000 kWh
3. Chilled Water Pumps & Heat Rejection (kWh/yr)	14,000 kWh	10,500 kWh	3,500 kWh
Total Annual HVAC Electricity (kWh/yr & EUI)	133,380 kWh	84,650 kWh	48,730 kWh (-36.5%)
Annual Electricity Cost (Year 1)	$24,008	$15,237	$8,771/yr
Annual Preventive Maintenance (O&M) Fewer moving VAV dampers, filters & fan belts	$6,500	$4,200	$2,300/yr
Total Direct HVAC Operating Cost (Year 1)	$30,508/yr	$19,437/yr	$11,071/yr
Additional Net Lettable Area (NLA) Value Smaller vertical risers unlock usable floor area (+18.0 m²)	Baseline (0 m²)	+$7,560/yr	+$7,560/yr Space Value

Lifecycle Financial & Carbon Summary	All-Air VAV	Radiant + DOAS	Net Lifecycle Advantage
Net Initial Construction CapEx (Year 0)	$252,000	$266,000	+$14,000
Cumulative Discounted OpEx (NPV)	$468,200	$298,300	-$169,900 Saved
Total Life Cycle Cost (NPV Total Ownership Cost)	$720,200	$564,300	$155,900 Lower LCC
Operational Carbon Footprint (Scope 2 Emissions)	1,734 tCO₂e	1,100 tCO₂e	634 tCO₂e Avoided

Life Cycle Cost (LCCA) & Carbon Comparison Tool

1. 1,000 m² Commercial Office

2. 300-Room Luxury Hotel

3. 5,000 m² New-Build Tower Floorplate

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