Lifecycle cost analysis
Software analyses lifecycle costs

In this research project, software for calculating lifecycle costs was developed as a planning and decision aid for architects, specialist planners and energy consultants. The underlying calculation method is suitable for generally analyzing the lifecycle costs of buildings or individual components – from the planning, tendering and operation to the servicing and maintenance. For this purpose, the software was developed in respectively adapted complexity levels and the operation honed to facilitate user-friendliness. Cost functions for individual devices or components enable manufacturer-neutral cost estimations. Optionally, individual prices can also be entered for individual components.

Calculating the lifecycle costs for buildings or system technology can help to achieve an economic balance between the initial construction and subsequent usage costs. The method is particularly interesting for the early design phases, where many decisions have a significant impact on the energy consumption and further utilization costs.

In economic feasibility calculations, considerably simplified and static methods are often still used. These give a relatively high weighting to the investment costs compared with the ongoing operational or energy costs. The most cost-optimal solution – considered over the entire lifecycle of the building or installation – is not attained.

However, complex simulation calculations and variant studies are required for comparative investigations aimed at achieving energy-optimised and cost-minimised solutions. These are too complicated for ordinary building projects, and these can also only be carried out by specialists. For a broader application of methodically more accurate cost-effectiveness considerations, software solutions should be developed in this project which, with lesser complexity of the building and plant models, enable fast and sufficiently accurate energetic and economic balancing as well as an optimization of the operation of buildings.

Focus

In the project, software modules are being developed to conduct energy efficiency inspections, analyse the lifecycle costs and optimise different components or even entire buildings. A particular focus is on building components such as windows, exterior walls, roofs and ventilation systems, whereby model functions for innovative components such as PCM-containing render or ice storage systems are also being integrated into the software. Within the project, software solutions with increasing complexity are also being developed, ranging from recording ventilation systems by simply inspecting the energy efficiency state to dynamically simulating the building including its individual building services components, to determining and optimising the energy consumption over the entire lifetime of the building.

Within the scope of this project, structures are also being developed for optimising the operation to enable the operational data to be compared directly with simulation results. This enables irregularities in the operation to be detected and faults remedied.

Successes

Mathematical models were created and integrated into the software for various innovative building services components such as modulating heat pumps. In addition, a measuring case for inspecting the energy efficiency of ventilation systems and corresponding software was also developed. Furthermore, manufacturer-neutral cost functions were developed for various ventilation devices, heat generators and insulation materials and integrated into various software products provided by Hottgenroth Software GmbH. Based on this, software was developed to optimise the lifecycle costs of ventilation systems. In addition, a software module has been implemented which helps to optimise the system configuration for generating heat in buildings – in accordance with the heating energy demand and with the aim of minimising lifecycle costs. This module is being integrated into existing software products produced by Hottgenroth Software GmbH. Here cost functions for individual devices or components enable a manufacturer-neutral assessment of the costs over the entire lifecycle. Optionally, individual prices can also be entered for individual components.

As part of the research project, a building was also evaluated using measurement technology and the operating data compared with the simulation results. In addition, different simulation software were compared for validation purposes.

Application

The product was launched in 2017. The new modules were integrated in different already established software products of the Hottgenroth Software GmbH & Co. KG, such as "Gebäude-Simulation 3D PLUS" and "Lüftungs-Check" as well as "Energieberater". Hottgenroth Software GmbH & Co. KG is a medium-sized software company with many years of experience in developing software for energy consultants and building services equipment engineers.

The modules are set to be launched onto the market in spring 2017. Until then the new modules will be integrated into various software products already established on the market. In addition, all software modules will be further validated and subjected to extensive tests.

The software is intended to be used by designers, trade specialists, energy consultants and facility managers to optimise buildings and their systems technology in order to achieve minimum lifecycle costs. To this end, various complex modules have been developed during various project stages that address the following customer groups:
The "Klimacheck" software (Hottgenroth Software GmbH) is intended for use by trade specialists, refrigeration technicians, building services equipment engineers and construction engineers for inspecting air-conditioning systems (according to Section 12 EnEV (German Energy Savings Ordinance)). The new module for calculating the lifecycle costs also enables an extended cost-effectiveness calculation.