Quick TCO Estimator

TCO stands for "total cost of ownership" — the full lifetime cost of a piece of equipment, not just its sticker price. It adds up purchase, installation, and every year of maintenance and energy, then subtracts what you can sell it for at the end (salvage). This is the quick single-screen version; the full TCO Analysis calculator adds depreciation schedules and scenarios.

Early screening when comparing two pieces of equipment and the cheaper one to buy may cost more to run. Crop-agnostic — works for lights, HVAC, dehumidifiers, anything with an install and running cost. Use it to avoid picking on purchase price alone; move to the full TCO Analysis calculator once you have narrowed the field.

Total Cost of Ownership is the lifetime number to compare between options — lower wins, all else equal. Annual TCO and Cost per Day spread that over time so you can sanity-check against budget. Net Present Value discounts future costs at 8%/yr, so it is lower than the raw TCO and is the fairer figure when comparing options with different lifespans. Cost per Sq Ft helps benchmark against your facility. The "Ownership vs Lease Threshold" is the monthly figure a lease would need to beat to make leasing cheaper — cross-check it in the Lease vs. Buy tool.