Life Cycle Cost Analysis for Electrical and Solar Water Heater from a Sustainable Perspective

Abstract

Global warming jeopardy increases day by day and being green at our era becomes a demand to protect our planet. This paper describes the financial and sustainable impact of electrical and solar water heater from a client point of view on the long-term in residential buildings in Al Ain, UAE. Costs play a vital role in selecting materials by the client. Therefore, current research aims to compare between two types of electrical and solar water heater. This comparison aims to expand the client’s prevision to select materials wisely based on its life cycle cost and environmental impact not only based on the initial cost. Electricity cost is always the highest cost at the life cycle cost of the building. Therefore, we focused in our comparison on the electricity consumption and cost during the life cycle of the water heater. Computing life cycle cost based on net present value assists project managers and clients to decide critically between alternatives. To understand client’s tendency in selecting materials, this paper applied qualitative and quantitative methods. Interviews with clients allow authors to illustrate the benefits of studying cost over a long-term. Results show that although solar water heater has higher capital cost, it shows a steady and very low increase comparing to electrical water heater.