6A-i 

APPENDIX 6A. USER INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE LIFE-CYCLE COST ANALYSIS 

SPREADSHEET FOR COMPUTER ROOM AIR CONDITIONERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6A.1 USER INSTRUCTIONS .............................................................................................. 6A-1

6A.2 STARTUP ..................................................................................................................... 6A-1

6A.3 DESCRIPTION OF LIFE-CYCLE COST WORKSHEETS ....................................... 6A-1

6A.4 BASIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPERATING THE LIFE-CYCLE COST 

SPREADSHEETS ........................................................................................................ 6A-3

LIST OF TABLES

Table 6A.3.1 Key Worksheets in LCC Workbook ................................................................... 6A-2
6A-1 

APPENDIX 6A. USER INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE LIFE-CYCLE COST ANALYSIS 

SPREADSHEET FOR COMPUTER ROOM AIR CONDITIONERS

6A.1 USER INSTRUCTIONS 

The results obtained in this analysis can be examined and reproduced using the Microsoft 

Excel spreadsheets available on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) ASHRAE Equipment 

rulemaking website: 

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/ashrae_products_docs_

meeting.html. From that page, follow the links to the notice of proposed rulemaking phase and 

then to Analytical Tools. 

6A.2 STARTUP

DOE’s spreadsheet enables users to perform life-cycle cost (LCC) and payback period 

(PBP) analyses for each equipment class. One spreadsheet exists for all computer room air 

conditioning (CRAC) equipment classes. 

To examine the spreadsheet, DOE assumes that the user has access to a personal 

computer with a hardware configuration capable of running Windows XP or later. All LCC 

spreadsheets require Microsoft Excel 2003 or later installed under the Windows operating 

system. Because certain variables inside the spreadsheets are defined as distributions, a copy of 

Crystal Ball (a commercially available add-on program) is required to view them. 

6A.3 DESCRIPTION OF LIFE-CYCLE COST WORKSHEETS 

For all of the furnace product classes, DOE created a single spreadsheet containing a 

collection of worksheets. Each worksheet represents a conceptual component within the LCC 

calculation. To facilitate navigability and identify how worksheets are related, each worksheet 

contains an area on the extreme left showing variables imported to and exported from the current 

worksheet. Table 6A.3.1 lists the worksheets contained in the LCC spreadsheet. 
6A-2 

Table 6A.3.1 Key Worksheets in LCC Workbook 

Worksheet Description

Labels This is used as a go-between for user inputs and the rest of 

the worksheets. Do not modify this sheet.

LCC Summary Contains the input selections and a summary table of energy 

and water use, operating costs, LCCs and PBP.

Crystal Ball Contains outputs for each equipment class from the Crystal 

Ball/Monte Carlo analysis. 

NIA Output Not used. This sheet is hidden.

Econ Trends Contains electricity and water price forecasts in a more 

organized table. Also contains price learning data inputs.

Markups Contains data used to derive industry baseline and 

incremental markups.

Engineering Contains the manufacturer price data for units at each 

efficiency level. Also contains data on harvest rates, 

utilization rates, energy and water consumption, and 

summarizes other engineering derived data. 

Discounted Costs Contains annual operating costs in cash flow tables. 

Discount Rate Contains all data used to calculate discount rates for each 

building type and an aggregate discount rate for the United 

States.

Electricity Prices Contains AEO2011 population-weighted electricity prices by 

state, AEO2011 electricity price projections, electricity price 

ratios derived for the various building types using the 2003 

Commercial Building Energy Consumption data.

Water Prices Contains population-weighted water/wastewater prices by 

state, and water/wastewater price projections. Note: no water 

savings analysis is being done currently for this equipment. 

Not Used. This sheet is hidden

Installation Costs Contains multipliers to vary the installation cost by state. 

Derived from data published by RS Means Publishers and 

Consultants.

Sales Tax Contains data on sales tax rates by state and population data 

by state.

EnergyConsumption Contains data on unit energy consumption for each CRAC 

equipment class for all estates at each efficiency level.

Population Contains 2010 census data on population by state.

Maintenance and 

Repair Costs

Contains inputs for different schedules of maintenance and 

repair costs and summarizes the data in an annualized format.

Economizer Contains selected market data to allocate the use of

economizers to specific market segments

TSD Tables Contains selected summary input and output information.

CB Results (multiple 

dates)

Contains Output Data from Selected Crystal Ball runs of the 

model.

Results for NIA Contains Output Data formatted for use by the NIA model.
6A-3 

6A.4 BASIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPERATING THE LIFE-CYCLE COST 

SPREADSHEET 

Basic instructions for operating the LCC spreadsheet are as follows. 

Step Description

1. Once you have downloaded the LCC file from the DOE Appliances and Commercial

Equipment Standards website, open the file using Excel. Select Yes when asked if you 

want to enable macros. At the bottom of the Excel window, click the tab for the 

Summary sheet. Note that if you plan to run the Monte Carlo routine, you will need to 

have Crystal Ball loaded as an add-in and activated.

2. Use Excel’s View/Zoom commands at the top menu bar to size the display to your 

monitor.

3. You can interact with the spreadsheet by clicking choices or entering data using the 

graphical interface on the LCC Summary tab. Select choices from the various 

dropdown input boxes throughout the LCC Summary tab.

4. From the user-defined input options, select from the buttons and boxes for the 

following: (1) assumed baseline level; (2) equipment class; (3) analysis year (year of 

purchase); (4) economic growth case; (5) year to discount costs to; (6) standard 

efficiency level; (7) building type; (8) state or region to analyze; (9) conservation 

program to model; (10) installation cost escalation; (11) repair cost escalation; (12) 

analysis type; (13) price learning toggle; and (14) discounting toggle. You can start a 

complete Crystal Ball simulation by clicking the Monte Carlo button. All inputs, with 

the exception of some conservation program inputs, are either dropdown option boxes 

or toggle boxes (checked boxes make the statement true).

4A. Equipment classes are defined as particular combinations of equipment families and 

cooling method. Currently there 15 equipment classes. They can be selected 

individually in sensitivity mode and all classes can be run in Monte Carlo mode. 

Selecting a combination of equipment families, cooling methods, harvest rate bins, and 

ice-making processes results in a potential equipment class that has not been analyzed 

by DOE (because few or no shipments have been identified), and the Annual Electricity 

Bill shown on the Summary tab will be $0 or blank.

4B. There is room for up to eight possible efficiency levels, including the baseline 

efficiency level. All equipment classes currently have the baseline and four additional 

representative levels populated. If an equipment class contains fewer than eight levels, 

the calculated output cells of the extra levels will have no values on the LCC Summary 

tab.

5. This spreadsheet gives the user two types of calculation methods: Sensitivity and Monte 

Carlo mode, using Crystal Ball.
6A-4 

5A. If base and sensitivity analysis is chosen, then all calculations are performed for a set of 

single input values, usually an average. The new results are shown on the Summary tab 

as soon as the input values are changes through a dropdown or toggle box.

5B. Alternatively, if the Monte Carlo option is chosen or if the button is clicked, the 

spreadsheet generates a set of results from calculations for each equipment class. For a 

number of inputs, the Crystal Ball software has custom distributions that it uses to set 

the level of the input. The model runs each of the studied classes in turn, performing 

5,000 model runs for each. At the end of each equipment class run, the model records to 

the Crystal Ball tab a large number of outputs that you can then work with for further 

analyses. The Monte Carlo button executes a macro written in Visual Basic for 

applications to loop through all equipment classes and selected efficiency levels. The 

Monte Carlo analysis usually takes 1 to 1.5 hours to complete for all 15 equipment 

classes.