
Equivalent annual cost
In finance, the equivalent annual cost (EAC) is the cost per year of owning and operating an asset over its entire lifespan.
(or EAC) is the cost per year of owning, operating, and maintaining an asset over its lifetime. How the EAC Works EAC is often used as a tool in capital budget decision making for evaluating investments of unequal lifespans. The usage of EAC implies the continuation of the investments or project beyond its initial lifetime.
How to calculate equivalent annual cost (EAC)?
Equivalent annual cost (EAC) is the annual cost of owning and maintaining an asset determined by dividing the net present value of the asset purchase, operations and maintenance cost by the present value of annuity factor.It is a capital budgeting tool used by companies to compare assets with unequal useful lives. The same concept can be applied to analyse projects which have unequal useful lives.
What is the equivalent annual cost (EAC)?
The equivalent annual cost (EAC) is the annual cost of owning, operating, and maintaining an asset over its entire life while the whole life cost is the total cost of the asset over its entire life. A limitation with EAC, as with many capital budgeting decisions, is that the discount rate or cost of capital must be estimated for each project.
How do you calculate EAC?
- EAC = AC + ETC
- EAC = AC + (BAC – EV)/CPI
- EAC = AC + (BAC – EV)
- EAC = BAC/CPI
- EAC = AC + (BAC – EV)/CPI p
- EAC = AC + Bottom-up ETC
- EAC = AC + [ (BAC – EV)/ (CPI * SPI)]
- EAC = AC + [ (BAC – EV)/ (x*CPI + y*SPI)]
How to calculate the euac?
Equivalent Uniform Annual Cost (EUAC) The equivalent uniform annual cost (EUAC) is the annual cost of the project or system equivalent to the discounted total cost or NPC. EUAC is calculated by multiplying the NPC by the capital recovery factor (CRF), as shown in Eq. 8.3.

How do you calculate annual equivalent cost in Excel?
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What is annual cost analysis?
Put simply, equivalent annual cost refers to the cost-per-year of owning, operating, and maintaining an asset over the course of its entire lifespan. Equivalent annual cost analysis is often used in the capital budgeting process, as it is an effective way to compare the cost-effectiveness of different assets.
How do you solve equivalent annual cost?
0:354:58Equivalent Annual Costs – YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo what we’ve got is a formula. That will tell us well economically mathematically which would beMoreSo what we’ve got is a formula. That will tell us well economically mathematically which would be the cheapest method to replace every year. Every two years every three years and. So on now that
How is annual cost calculated?
Calculating Equivalent Annual Cost Divide the purchase price plus maintenance and operating costs by the number of years of useful life to get the equivalent annual cost.
How to calculate equivalent annual cost?
Essentially, you’ll need to divide the net present value (NPV) of the asset by the present value of an annuity factor:
Why is equivalent annual cost analysis important?
Equivalent annual cost analysis is often used in the capital budgeting process, as it is an effective way to compare the cost-effectiveness of different assets. You can also use equivalent annual cost analysis to determine whether it’s better to lease or purchase an asset outright, while the calculation can also help you understand the impact …
What are the disadvantages of equivalent annual cost analysis?
The main disadvantage of equivalent annual cost analysis is the fact that you’ll need to estimate the discount rate. These types of forecasts tend to be inaccurate, which can throw the entire equivalent annual cost formula off. As such, it’s always important to remember to combine equivalent annual cost analysis with other capital budgeting tools to make sure that you’re getting the most accurate data regarding the investments that you’re comparing.
What is discount rate in cost of capital?
In this equivalent annual cost formula, “discount rate” is the return that’s necessary to make the project viable (also referred to as the cost of capital). “n” is the number of periods.
Which is better, Asset 1 or 2?
As you can see, our equivalent annual cost analysis indicates that – purely from a financial point of view – Asset 2 is a better option as its EAC is considerably less than Asset 1.
What is EAC in accounting?
Equivalent annual cost (EAC) is the cost per year for owning or maintaining an asset over its lifetime. Calculating EAC is useful in budgeting decision-making by converting the price of an asset to an equivalent annual amount. EAC helps to compare the cost effectiveness of two or more assets with different lifespans.
What is discount rate?
Discount rate is the cost of capital, or how much return your capital is required to generate each year. Say your organization uses a Discount Rate of 10%. Determine the annual maintenance costs for the asset.
How much does a precision lathe cost?
A precision lathe costs $10,000 and will cost $20,000 a year to operate and maintain. If the discount rate is 10% and the lathe will last for 5 years, what is the equivalent annual cost of the tool?
What is EAC in finance?
In finance, the equivalent annual cost ( EAC) is the cost per year of owning and operating an asset over its entire lifespan. It is calculated by dividing the NPV of a project by the “present value of annuity factor”:
How to get EAC?
Alternatively, EAC can be obtained by multiplying the NPV of the project by the “loan repayment factor”. EAC is often used as a decision making tool in capital budgeting when comparing investment projects of unequal lifespans. However, the projects being compared must have equal risk: otherwise, EAC must not be used.
When was EAC first used?
The technique was first discussed in 1923 in engineering literature, and, as a consequence, EAC appears to be a favoured technique employed by engineers, while accountants tend to prefer net present value (NPV) analysis.
What Is the Equivalent Annual Cost Method?
The equivalent annual cost (EAC) method is a strategy employed when choosing an investment option. Equivalent annual cost refers to the cost-per-year of owning something. It takes the net present value of an asset and divides it by the annuity factor. It also takes into account a few other expenses:
What is annual maintenance cost?
Annual Maintenance Cost: This refers to the annual maintenance expense of an investment.
How Is EAC Calculated?
EAC is calculated using a specific formula that’s easy to understand. All you need to have on hand are the following figures.
What Are the Benefits of EAC?
The main benefit of using the EAC method is that it lets managers review options and choose the best one. By choosing the asset that makes the most sense, companies can save money and increase profit margins. Using the method, a company may find that the product with a 3-year lifespan costs less than the cheaper alternative.
What is EAC in accounting?
EAC is used to determine the cost of capital for assets that have unequal lifespans. This is the best way to choose the asset with the best cost-effectiveness. Without this method, there’s a good chance that unnecessary expenses will be incurred by a company.
What is EAC in financials?
The EAC formula only takes into account the functional life of an asset. It is used to determine the annual expenses incurred by an asset, in relation to a project. This includes owning, operating, and maintaining an asset over its functional life.
What is discount rate?
The discount rate is also called the cost of capital. This is the required return necessary to make a capital budgeting project worthwhile.
How to calculate equivalent annual cost?
To calculate equivalent annual cost, you first need to average the cost over years of useful life. Useful life is defined by the length of time an asset can be reasonably used to be of benefit to a business. Divide the purchase price plus maintenance and operating costs by the number of years of useful life to get the equivalent annual cost.
Who is the calculator image by?
Calculator image by Alhazm Salemi from Fotolia.com
Why is EAC important?
It’s an important tool in the capital budgeting process because it allows you to compare the cost effectiveness of assets that have different life spans.
What is the IRM 1.35.6?
The IRS’s Internal Revenue Manual 1.35.6 contains a table that classifies items according to estimated useful life. You can use IRM figures when calculating equivalent annual cost. Some categories and useful life estimates from the manual include:
Do two users have the same useful life estimates?
Two users may not have the same useful life estimates for items even when those items are identical. For example, consider a truck that’s driven 100,000 miles per year and frequently encounters icy roads treated with salt.
Does machine B cost more?
As you can see from this example, machine B costs more initially. However, when you calculate equivalent annual cost, machine B costs less. You can use this method to calculate the equivalent annual cash flow from each machine in your business.
What is annual equivalent rate?
The annual equivalent rate (AER) is used to determine which banks offer better rates and which investments might be attractive. The annual equivalent rate (AER) is one of the various ways to calculate interest on interest, which is called compounding.
Where Can I Find an AER Calculator Online?
There are many websites that offer tools for calculating AER, including the websites Calculator Soup, Get Calc, and Omni Calculator.
What is AER in savings?
The annual equivalent rate (AER) is the interest rate for a savings account or investment product that has more than one compounding period . AER is calculated under the assumption that any interest paid is included in the principal payment’s balance and the next interest payment will be based on the slightly higher account balance.
What is the AER of a General Electric bond?
15, 2023. The nominal, or stated rate, of the bond, is 8%—or the 4% coupon rate times two annual coupons. However, the annual equivalent rate is higher, given the fact that interest is paid twice a year. The AER of the bond is calculated as (1+ (0.04 / 2 )) 2 – 1 = 8.16%.
What is AER in investing?
The AER is the actual interest rate that an investor will earn for an investment, a loan, or another product, based on compounding. The AER reveals to investors what they can expect to return from an investment (the ROI)—the actual return of the investment based on compounding, which is more than the stated, or nominal, interest rate.
What is the AER in interest?
The annual equivalent rate (AER) is one of the various ways to calculate interest on interest, which is called compounding.
Is the AER higher than the stated interest rate?
Assuming that interest is calculated—or compounded—more than once a year, the AER will be higher than the stated interest rate. The more compounding periods, the greater the difference between the two will be.

Overview
In finance, the equivalent annual cost (EAC) is the cost per year of owning and operating an asset over its entire lifespan. It is calculated by dividing the NPV of a project by the “present value of annuity factor”:
, where
where r is the annual interest rate and
Application
EAC can be used in the following scenarios:
1. Assessing alternative projects of unequal lives (where only the costs are relevant) in order to address any built-in bias favouring the longer-term investment.
2. Determining the optimum economic life of an asset, through charting the change in EAC that may occur due to the fluctuation of operating costs and salvage values over time.
Canadian context with capital cost allowance
Such analysis can also be carried out on an after-tax basis, and extensive work has been undertaken in Canada for investment appraisal of assets subject to its capital cost allowance regime for computing depreciation for income tax purposes. It is subject to a three-part calculation:
1. Determination of the after-tax NPV of the investment
See also
• Capital budgeting
• Depreciation
• Net present value
Further reading
• Edge, C. Geoffrey; Irvine, V. Bruce (1981). A Practical Approach to the Appraisal of Capital Expenditures (2nd ed.). Hamilton: Society of Management Accountants of Canada. ISBN 0-920212-29-8.
• Copeland, Thomas E.; Weston, J. Fred (1988). Financial Theory and Corporate Policy (PDF) (3rd ed.). Reading: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-10648-5.
External links
• Equivalent Annual Cost – EAC – Calculator