ABSTRACT
This chapter considers some of the information sources that are available and will consider the practical problems that this information poses for the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analyst and what strategies can be used to overcome those problems. The cost information necessary for an LCC study can come from a variety of sources. Life expectancy information is needed for every physical material, component or system included within an LCC study. If an LCC study is an analysis of all the costs and benefits associated with a project during its lifetime, then it is clear that each activity or event that contributes to that LCC has to have a cost or benefit associated with it. Private life expectancy information is to collaborate with like-minded organizations through a network or association. One example of a group-wide collection of life expectancy information is the database of building services component life coordinated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
