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Calcimator

Data Center TCO Calculator

Total cost of ownership from build cost, electricity, staffing, maintenance, and connectivity over a multi-year horizon.

Inputs

%

Results

Total TCO ($)

$23,770,000.00

≈ 57 average U.S. homes

Total CapEx ($)$6,000,000.00
Total OpEx ($)$17,770,000.00
Annual OpEx ($)$1,777,000.00
Annual electricity ($)$657,000.00
TCO per kW/month ($)$396.17
Electricity % of TCO27.6%
CapEx % of TCO25.2%
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the data center size in kW IT load and PUE.
  2. Set capital costs: land, construction, and IT equipment.
  3. Input annual power cost per kWh and staffing cost.
  4. Set the analysis period in years.
  5. Review total cost of ownership (TCO) and cost per kW per year to compare build vs. colocation options.

How the result changes with Analysis period (years)

Analysis period (years)Total TCO ($)
3.9$13,108,000.00
11$25,547,000.00
20$41,540,000.00
27$53,979,000.00

What each input means

IT load capacity (kW)
Provisioned IT power capacity in kilowatts.
PUE
Power Usage Effectiveness for energy cost calculation.
Build cost per kW ($)
Capital cost to build/fit-out per kW of IT capacity. Typical: $8K-$20K/kW.
Electricity rate ($/kWh)
Blended electricity cost per kilowatt-hour.
Annual maintenance (% of CapEx)
Annual maintenance budget as percentage of initial capital cost.
Operations staff
Number of full-time operations and facilities staff.
Avg loaded salary ($)
Average fully-loaded annual cost per employee (salary + benefits).
Monthly connectivity ($)
Monthly network/ISP/transit costs.
Analysis period (years)
Number of years for TCO calculation.

What each result means

Total TCO ($)
Total cost of ownership over the analysis period.
Total CapEx ($)
One-time capital expenditure (build/fit-out).
Total OpEx ($)
Cumulative operating costs over the analysis period.
Annual OpEx ($)
Yearly operating costs (electricity + maintenance + staff + connectivity).
Annual electricity ($)
Yearly electricity cost at current rates.
TCO per kW/month ($)
Amortized cost per kilowatt of IT capacity per month.
Electricity % of TCO
Power cost as a share of total cost of ownership.
CapEx % of TCO
Capital cost as a share of total TCO.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    IT load capacity (kW) = 500, PUE = 1.5, Build cost per kW ($) = 12000, Electricity rate ($/kWh) = 0.1 = 9 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Total TCO
    Total TCO = totalCapex + totalOpex
    23770000 = $23,770,000
  3. Calculate Total CapEx
    Total CapEx = itLoadKw * buildCostPerKw
    6000000 = $6,000,000
  4. Calculate Total OpEx
    Total OpEx = annualOpex * yearsHorizon
    17770000 = $17,770,000

Engine last updated .

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