Initial costs (Cic)

In the calculation of life cycle cost, the initial cost of a pumping system covers all the equipment and accessories needed to operate the system.

Initial costs include the purchase of:

• Pumps
• Frequency converters
• Control panels
• Transmitters

The initial costs may conceal the real cost of an installation over its lifetime.
There are certain trade-offs that should be seen in this context. For instance, a speed-controlled pump system may use considerably less energy compared to a cheaper constant-speed system. Over its lifetime the energy saving can more than offset the higher initial cost.

The graph compares the initial cost of a constant-speed pump system (system 1) with a speed-controlled pump system (system 2). The higher initial cost of a speed-controlled pump is often offset by lower operating costs.