Life Cycle Cost and Assessment Module
The life cycle cost and life cycle environmental impact assessment module is a stand-alone Microsoft Excel workbook that allows users to take a unit process approach to estimate costs and environmental impact for SCMs. Features include:
- Unit process inventories and default values for 17 classes SCMs
- Location-specific cost estimates
- Full life cycle, with escalation adjustments for each cost component
- Environmental impact assessment following EPA TRACI 2.0 methods
The first version of the of distributed SCM module can be found here
The 17 SCMs:
- The tool is developed with 17 SCM, mirroring those simulated in the watershed-scale hydrology and water quality module
- Each SCM has unique unit processes inventories and default values
Global Tool Settings:
Include information on location and timing. Cost are adjusted using the 2017 RSMeans Base City Cost Index. Specify other relavant information about the system include:
- Is it a combined sewer system
- Is labor subcontracted or internal
- Is equipment owned or leased
Life Cycle Cost Calculations:
- Process inventories for each SCM are linked to centralized financial and environmental cost estimates
- Costs are calculated per SCM of specified size (e.g., a cistern of volume defined by SUSTAIN) using per process material, labor, equipment, energy, and other inputs multiplied by cost per unit input for each input.
- Net present value calculations for SCM costs incorporates the fact that cost escalation varies by cost type
- Environmental costs are monetized in the tool: cost results are presented as both financial only and financial + monetized environmental.
Life Cycle Environmental Impact Calculations:
- Environmental impacts are estimated using the EPA’s TRACI 2.0 (Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts) categories
- For materials, data collection on environmental impact is underway and thus far relies heavily on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).