Calculate repair vs replace

Compare repair and replacement on annualised ownership cost rather than their immediate invoices.

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ToolRepair vs Replace Calculator
Input
Output
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How it works

Each up-front cost is divided by expected service years and its yearly running cost is added. The lower annual amount wins, with less than half a penny difference treated as equal; running costs default to 0 when no energy or maintenance estimate is available.

Formula
annualised cost = one-off cost ÷ expected life + annual running cost
  • The method is straight-line and does not discount future running costs.
  • Expected life must be positive because it is the annualisation denominator.

Worked example

A boiler with 4 years of life left in it against a new one rated for 15
The old boiler costs more to run each year
Input
											Repair cost: 800
Repair remaining life years: 4
Repair annual running cost: 150
Replace cost: 3000
Replace life years: 15
Replace annual running cost: 40
Output
												Repair annualised cost: 350
Replace annualised cost: 240
Cheaper option: replace
Annual difference: 110

When to use this

Boiler repairs, landlord appliance decisions, and facilities-equipment overhauls compare fitted cost, remaining life, and annual energy or maintenance.

Edge cases

  • A short repair life can make a cheaper invoice cost more per year than replacement.
  • Equal sticker prices can produce different annual costs when expected lives differ.
  • A zero expected life is rejected because annualising would divide by zero.