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LOWERING FACILITY COSTS WITH CARPET

The True Cost of Carpet

The life cycle of a flooring system is referred to as the “relative use-life” of that material before replacement.  “Use-life” is defined as the actual years carpet or other materials are used, rather than indicating when they are actually worn out.  Flooring materials may be removed prematurely due to aesthetic renovation or during scheduled refurbishment of the facility.   

Analyzing life cycle costs of a flooring material is a highly subjective activity, since use life of a flooring material is dramatically impacted by the quality of maintenance provided and the appearance level desired.  Few school districts distinguish flooring maintenance as a separate accounting function, which complicates establishing realistic life cycle costs. 

Comparing Use-Life Costs of Competitive Flooring System 

Material purchase, installation, cleaning material costs and the cost of maintaining cleaning equipment, labor, and repair are major variables in determining life cycle costs. Too often, however, the selection of a flooring system is based solely on maintenance costs or installation costs or aesthetic choices, rather than the examination of all contributions by a flooring system.  These intangible cost savings are difficult to enumerate.  In evaluating lifecycle costs of a flooring system it is important to obtain an accurate accounting of installation and maintenance costs but it is equally important to recognize seemingly unrelated cost savings directly attributable to a flooring surface.   

Flooring Products and R-Value 

Typical costs associated with the upkeep of a flooring system have been duly noted because they appear on the expense side of the ledger.  R-value, on the other hand, provides an excellent example of the hidden cost savings of carpet.  These cost savings generally show up on the ledger of the energy manager and are therefore rarely acknowledged.  The higher R-value of carpet has been well documented, but actual energy savings directly attribute to carpet have rarely been calculated.

Carpet is an extremely versatile material that serves a variety of purposes.  It is well documented that carpet provides a safe, slip resistant surface that may reduce the severity of injuries sustained in falls.  Also, carpet provides comfort under foot which reduces muscle fatigue.  Carpet has the unique ability to trap airborne allergens and particles thus removing them from the breathing zone, and carpet is less costly to maintain than other flooring systems.  For acoustical purposes, carpet provides an outstanding supplement to specialty noise reduction materials thus reducing background noise and other distractions typically found in school or office environments.  Additionally, carpet is much more economical than specialty products specifically designed for these purposes.

 Rising energy costs have influenced architectural designers to include additional energy saving features.  Often these energy saving features greatly increase the costs of building materials and energy conservation only can be achieved by using a variety of these features.  Each of these energy saving features is given a thermal resistance rating or R-value.  R-value describes the resistance of a material to oppose movements or relative movements of temperature through the material (value of resistance). Essentially, R-value describes the ability of a material to maintain current temperatures.  To conserve energy, a building must be constructed with thermal resistant materials covering the walls, ceilings, windows and doors, and flooring materials.

Most structures experience a phenomenon called thermal lag.  The interior temperature of a structure will rise and fall in relation to outside temperatures.  As outside temperatures rise, indoor temperatures gradually begin to rise until outdoor temperatures begin to decline.  Indoor temperatures continue to rise until the structure is sufficiently cooled by outdoor temperatures.  However, a better insulated structure will resist the temperature movement and the rise or fall in temperature will be more gradual or less consequential. 

Cutting operational costs with carpet has been well documented, but carpets' ability to reduce energy costs has rarely been examined.  Carpet plays an important role in helping maintain existing temperatures, especially cooled air, since hot air rises.  Carpet holds the highest r-value of any flooring material.

According to a study performed by the Georgia Institute of Technology, annual energy savings realized by an average elementary school directly from the installation of carpet ranged from $738 in Miami to more than $3900 in Chicago or actual annual savings in energy costs of 5-8%.

Acoustical Costs

Recent Pennsylvania court decisions involving acoustics and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) demonstrates the importance of carpet in providing a proper learning environment.  Proper acoustics require a variety of acoustical systems complementing one another to obtain an acceptable acoustical balance.  In eliminating carpet, the proper acoustical balance never can be achieved.  Minimally acceptable conditions sometimes can be achieved through the installation of expensive wall treatments and acoustical ceiling tiles, but the purchase, installation and maintenance costs of these items greatly exceed the cost of carpet.

Estimating Life-Cycle Costs

Life cycle costing involves taking the total costs related to a particular product and amortizing it over the entire usable life of the product.  In the case of a flooring system, the factors that must be considered include the cost of the flooring material itself, installation costs, maintenance costs, and removal and disposal costs.  These costs are then added together and divided by the usable life of the product.  This type of costing allows for the comparison of various product qualities and different maintenance programs.  For example, a lower quality flooring material may be less expensive initially, but decreased use-life may drive up life cycle costs.  Additionally,  a less than adequate maintenance program may decrease yearly operational costs but drive up life cycle costs because of diminished product life. 

The Maintenance Variable 

Maintenance is the single, largest expenditure encountered with any flooring product and is the primary influence on the use-life of any flooring material.   A neglectful maintenance program performed on an inexpensive flooring product may drive up life cycle costs considerably.  Conversely, a superior maintenance program on a quality flooring product may reduce life cycle costs to minimal levels.  Unfortunately, as mentioned previously, few school districts distinguish floor care as a separate budget item and therefore have little understanding as to the actual costs of maintaining various flooring systems.  However, several studies have been performed detailing the costs of maintaining these flooring systems. 

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and CARPAX Associates each performed detailed studies of maintenance costs of carpet and vinyl composition tile (VCT).  The BOMA study reflects maintenance costs based on actual maintenance activities.  BOMA established actual maintenance costs for carpet at $0.394 per square foot  year while actual maintenance of VCT amounted to $1.001 per square foot per year.  The CARPAX study, rather than relying on actual maintenance activities, uses International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) cleaning times and inputs yearly frequencies to estimate maintenance costs.  CARPAX projects the cost of flooring maintenance for schools at $0.3615 per square foot per year for carpet and $0.791 per square foot per year for VCT.    

BUDGET FOR EFFECTIVE FLOOR MAINTENANCE

School Schedule – 36 Weeks – Labor $8.50/hr

Figure 5

Figure 6

In establishing these frequencies, the appearance level standard applied to both hard surface and carpeted floors was designated as a number on the Maintenance Level Rating System, an evaluation scale devised by the Industrial Sanitation Counselors (ISC), a maintenance consulting firm specializing in commercial facilities.  Each space to be maintained is given a numerical rating based on a 100 point scale with “100” representing perfect conditions.  Cleaning programs could thus be planned to sustain any appearance desired by management.  The stated maintenance frequencies have been established based on a “basic” maintenance rating system rather than a “superior” maintenance plan for purposes of establishing realistic life cycle costs. 

Maintenance Equipment Costs

30,000 Square Feet Elementary School

Figure 7

Purchase, Removal and Reinstallation

Maintenance and equipment costs reflect a significant portion of the life cycle formula but purchase, removal and reinstallation costs can be significant if the installation fails to perform according to expectations.  These costs may vary considerably across the country.  Additionally, cost of goods is dependent upon the quality of goods selected.  Better quality materials along with an adequate maintenance program may significantly reduce long-term costs. 

Generating Life Cycle Cost Data

With the information generated thus far, generating life cycle cost data is as simple as inputting the information into an understandable format and establishing the time period for data generation. 

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   Carpet Buyers Handbook 

Carpet Wholesalers

The Carpet Buyers Handbook is a consumer carpet resource site. We are not a carpet seller. The Links shown below are CBH Site Partners.  These Carpet Wholesalers are legitimate carpet wholesalers, area rug wholesalers, and hardwood flooring wholesalers and agree to terms of the Carpet Buyers Handbook Buyer Assurance Policy.  This unbiased carpet site would not be possible without their support. Please click on their links, visit their sites, and give them serious consideration when purchasing carpet. Be sure to read Buying Carpet Online and visit our area on area rugs.  Click here to learn about becoming a site partner.

Dalton Carpet Wholesaler Listing

- Long's Discount Carpet - If you need floorcovering for your home or business you have just found the best place to buy carpet, discount laminate flooring or wholesale hardwood, no matter where you live. We stock trackless carpet, frieze carpet, and Berber carpet.  Visit our Longs Carpet page within The Carpet Buyers Handbook. 

- Hanks Carpet - We are a nationwide carpet manufacturer and direct flooring supplier located in the Carpet Capitol, Dalton, Georgia.  Shop our location or our online showroom. We ship hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, Berber carpet and sheet vinyl flooring anywhere in the US. Visit our Hanks Carpet page within the Carpet Buyers Handbook.

- American Floor Covering - Georgia Hardwood Wholesaler- Your one-stop total floor covering resource for wholesale carpet, discount vinyl flooring, ceramic tile, discount laminate flooring, Mannington flooring, pergo flooring, and wholesale hardwood flooring.  Visit our American Floor Covering page within The Carpet Buyers Handbook

- Dalton Georgia Wholesale Flooring - The official web site of America's Original Flooring Outlet! Dalton Georgia. Carpet, Hardwood and more. Visit our Dalton Georgia Wholesale Flooring page within the Carpet Buyers Handbook

-GEORGIA CARPET INDUSTRIES – Doing business since 1959 – Carpet wholesale direct!  Save up to 30-50% off Retail Carpet Prices!  We are your one-stop Floor Covering Source!  All major manufactures of carpet – Shaw Carpet, Mohawk Carpet, Beaulieu Carpet, Berber Carpet, Commercial Carpet, Frieze Carpet and Textured - Saxony Carpet!  As one of the largest Hardwood, Laminate and Tile Wholesaler, we have it in-stock ready for immediate shipment, Bruce Hardwood, Mannington Hardwood, Armstrong Laminate, BR-111, Handscraped Hardwood and Laminate Floors, engineered wood, Exotic Hardwoods, Travertine Tile, Mannington Vinyl, Armstrong Vinyl, Congoleum Vinyl, Ceramic tile, Marble Tile and Area Rugs from Oriental to Modern.   Visit our Georgia Carpet page within the Carpet Buyers Handbook

- Carpet Barn USA  - The Largest selection of Berber carpet at discount carpet prices. Come take advantage of our wholesale carpet prices direct from Dalton, GA!  Visit our Carpet Barn page within The Carpet Buyers Handbook.

- USA CARPETS   Mill Direct flooring from Dalton Georgia. USA Carpets is the perfect solution to your floorcovering needs. Wholesale prices on discount carpet, discount hardwood flooring, discount sheet vinyl, specials and carpet closeouts. We have discount stainmaster carpet. Visit our USA Carpets page with in the Carpet Buyers Handbook.

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