Industry-relevant training in Business, Technology, and Design to help professionals and graduates upskill for real-world careers.
Fun, engaging games to boost memory, math fluency, typing speed, and English skills—perfect for learners of all ages.
Enroll to start learning
You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take practice test.
Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.
Today, we will explore ownership costs, which include expenses like depreciation, taxes, and insurance. Can anyone tell me how we calculate depreciation?
Isn't it calculated based on the initial cost minus salvage value divided by the depreciation period?
Exactly! That's the straight-line method. Remember, we need to also subtract the tire cost. What do we call this total calculation?
Total equipment ownership cost?
Yes, great job! The ownership cost helps us understand the long-term expenses associated with the equipment. Let's also remember that different factors are involved, which I'll summarize at the end of this session.
Operating costs include expenses incurred while using equipment, like fuel and maintenance. Can anyone tell me how we estimate fuel costs?
We can find the fuel consumption factor in handbooks and then multiply it by the horsepower of the machine and the unit cost of fuel?
Exactly! That's a crucial calculation. We need to adjust fuel costs based on the actual working conditions, as stated in the equipment handbook. Why is it important to adjust these values?
To ensure our estimates reflect realistic usage conditions?
Exactly right! Let’s sum up what we've covered concerning operating costs and their critical impact on overall project budgets.
Now, let’s compare the Caterpillar and Peurifoy methods. What’s a key difference between them, particularly regarding ownership costs?
Peurifoy considers the time value of money, right?
Correct! This approach uses capital recovery factors to make costs more reflective of actual financial situations. How does this affect our understanding of project budgeting?
It makes it more accurate since it accounts for the timing of cash flows.
Exactly! Understanding these differences equips you with valuable tools for effective project management.
Let’s go through an example. If a construction project involves using an excavator with an initial cost of $200,000, a salvage value of $20,000, and a useful life span of 10,000 hours, how would we calculate the depreciation?
Using the formula: (200,000 - 20,000) / 10,000 hours, which gives us $18 per hour.
Great! Now, how about estimating the total cost when we add in operating expenses? What factors should we include?
We should factor in fuel costs, maintenance, and labor wages!
Excellent! Always remember, a thorough analysis helps create an accurate project budget.
Read a summary of the section's main ideas. Choose from Basic, Medium, or Detailed.
The section details two prevalent methods—Caterpillar and Peurifoy—for estimating total equipment costs in construction. It discusses key components such as ownership costs (including depreciation, taxes, and insurance) and operating costs (like fuel and maintenance), providing step-by-step calculations and examples.
This section introduces the methods used to calculate total equipment costs in construction, specifically focusing on the Caterpillar and Peurifoy methods. Both methods offer structured approaches to estimating ownership and operating costs, essential for effective equipment management.
Ownership costs encompass depreciation, taxes, and insurance.
- Depreciation is critical for understanding how the initial investment in machinery decreases over time, calculated using methods like the straight-line method. The formula is:
\[ \text{Depreciation} = \frac{\text{Initial Price} - \text{Tire Cost} - \text{Salvage Value}}{\text{Depreciation Period in Hours}} \]
Operating costs focus on the ongoing expenses of equipment use, primarily:
- Fuel Costs, derived from fuel consumption factors available in handbooks and multiplied by the machine's power and fuel unit cost.
- Consumables like filters and lubricants, which are essential for equipment functionality.
- Maintenance and Repair costs based on a percentage of initial equipment costs minus tire costs.
The Peurifoy method adds a focus on the time value of money, computing costs based on equivalent annual costs, emphasizing the financial implications of timing cash flows in construction projects.
Overall, effective cost estimation using these methods aids in budget management and sustainability in construction projects.
Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
Hello everyone. I welcome you all to the lecture 5 of this course construction methods and equipment management. So in this lecture 5 we will be discussing about how to estimate the total equipment cost. So far we have discussed about how to estimate the ownership cost and the operating cost components. So in this lecture we will be working out some illustrations on how to estimate the total equipment cost using Caterpillar method and Peurifoy method which are commonly adopted methods.
This introduction sets the stage for understanding how to calculate the total equipment cost in construction management. The speaker highlights that previous lectures covered both ownership costs (the costs associated with owning a piece of equipment) and operating costs (the costs incurred while using the equipment). In this lecture, the focus will shift towards practical applications using two well-known methods—the Caterpillar method and the Peurifoy method.
Imagine you’re budgeting for a construction project. Before deciding how much to spend on equipment, you need to understand the different costs involved: how much it will cost to buy the equipment and how much it will cost to use it during the project. This lecture will help you make those calculations wisely.
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
So as we know the owner ship cost and operating cost is the two main components. Let us start with the estimation of the ownership cost. So under the ownership cost we are going to estimate the depreciation first. In this caterpillar method we are going to adopt these straight line methods for estimation and depreciation.
The total equipment cost consists of two main components: ownership cost and operating cost. The ownership cost is primarily made up of depreciation, which reflects the loss of value of the equipment over time. The Caterpillar method uses the straight-line approach for calculating depreciation, which means that the value of the equipment is reduced evenly over its useful life. This is crucial for understanding how much money the equipment will lose in value while it's used.
Think of a car you bought for $20,000. If you plan to use it for 10 years and expect to sell it for $5,000 at that time, your depreciation each year would be based on losing $15,000 in value over 10 years, which amounts to $1,500 per year. This makes budgeting easier by knowing how much money you'll lose each year due to wear and tear.
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
So depreciation is nothing but initial price minus salvage value divided by the depreciation period in hours.
Depreciation = (Initial price - Tire cost - Salvage value) / Depreciation period in hours.
To calculate the hourly depreciation of the equipment, you will first determine the initial price (purchase price), subtract any tire costs (which are treated separately as operating costs), and also subtract the salvage value (the estimated value when you eventually sell it). This amount is then divided by the total hours the equipment is expected to be useful (the depreciation period). This results in an hourly depreciation rate which can be useful for project budgeting.
If you buy a piece of machinery for $50,000, expect to sell it for $10,000 later, and plan to use it for 5,000 hours, you would calculate the depreciation like this: ($50,000 - $0 - $10,000) / 5,000 hours = $8 per hour. This means every hour you use the machine, it loses $8 in value.
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
Now let us calculate the other components of the ownership cost. It is nothing but the cost of investment, taxes, insurance. So everything will be calculated as a percentage of the average value of equipment.
Besides depreciation, ownership costs also include the costs associated with the investment in the equipment, taxes based on ownership, and insurance costs. These expenses are not fixed but vary as a percentage of the average value of the equipment calculated over its useful life. It is important to consider all these factors into the total cost to ensure proper budgeting.
Think of renting an apartment. You not only have to pay for the rent (comparable to depreciation) but also need to consider utilities, insurance, and taxes which are based on the apartment’s value. Similarly, calculating ownership costs of equipment includes all these aspects to get an accurate depiction of what you will end up spending over time.
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
Now the ownership cost is done it is more to the operating cost. So under operating cost we are going to discuss cost of consumable. Firstly, we will discuss about the fuel cost. Fuel costs there are different handbook which provides you the information on the fuel consumption factor.
Once the ownership costs are computed, the next step is to determine the operating costs, which mainly include consumables. The first item discussed is fuel cost, which can vary depending on the model of the equipment and how it is used. Various handbooks provide fuel consumption factors, which can help predict how much fuel will be used based on hours of operation and load conditions. Accurate calculations of fuel costs are crucial for managing the overall project budget.
Imagine you drive your car differently based on traffic and load. If you’re stuck in traffic (high load), your car uses more fuel compared to a smooth highway drive (low load). Similarly, heavy machinery consumes fuel differently based on how it’s used, which means accurate estimations of operating costs can significantly affect the total expenditure on a project.
Signup and Enroll to the course for listening the Audio Book
So now the total ownership and the operating cost will be the sum of all the ownership cost components, operating cost components and in addition you have to add the operating wages.
Finally, to determine the total cost of using the equipment, all components of ownership costs (like depreciation, taxes, insurance) and operating costs (like fuel, repairs) are summed up. Additionally, wages paid to operators also need to be included to get a complete picture of what it costs to operate the equipment in any construction project.
Consider a bakery that includes all its ingredient costs (flour, sugar, eggs), electricity costs (the oven), and staff wages in their total operational costs. Similarly, in construction, it's essential to include every cost associated with owning and operating equipment to ensure accurate financial planning for the project.
Learn essential terms and foundational ideas that form the basis of the topic.
Key Concepts
Total Cost Calculation: The process of estimating all costs associated with equipment use in construction.
Ownership/Operating Costs: Essential components of total cost, representing different expense categories.
Caterpillar Method: A common method for estimating equipment cost based on simplified calculations.
Peurifoy Method: A refined method focusing on the time value of money for greater accuracy in cost estimation.
See how the concepts apply in real-world scenarios to understand their practical implications.
If an excavator's initial cost is $200,000, salvage value is $20,000, and useful life is 10,000 hours, the hourly depreciation is calculated as (200,000 - 20,000) / 10,000 = $18/hour.
For a project using an excavator where the fuel cost is based on a consumption factor of 0.5 gallons/hour, horsepower of 150, and fuel cost of $3/gallon, the operating cost is: 0.5 * 150 * $3.
Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.
If you want to see your cost drop down, keep an eye on ownership all around!
Imagine a construction site where every hour, an excavator works hard. With tire costs multiplied by time, and fuel costs adjusted just right, the builders save lots of time and money!
To remember ownership costs, think 'DTC' - Depreciation, Taxes, and Costs (of operation).
Review key concepts with flashcards.
Review the Definitions for terms.
Term: Operating Cost
Definition:
Expenses incurred while operating equipment, including fuel, maintenance, and labor.
Term: Ownership Cost
Definition:
Costs associated with owning equipment, such as depreciation, insurance, and taxes.
Term: Depreciation
Definition:
The reduction in value of an asset over time, calculated using various methods.
Term: Fuel Consumption Factor
Definition:
A value representing the amount of fuel consumed per unit of power, used to estimate fuel costs.
Term: Peurifoy Method
Definition:
A cost estimation approach that considers the time value of money for better accuracy.
Term: Caterpillar Method
Definition:
A widely used method for estimating equipment costs based on ownership and operating costs.