What is the Total Cost of Ownership of a Plant Growth Chamber?

Understanding the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a plant growth chamber is critical for anyone involved in agricultural research or commercial plant production. While the initial purchase price of a plant growth chamber is a significant investment, it’s only part of the overall financial commitment required to conduct research or grow commercially in controlled environments.

Plant growth chamber TCO encompasses all costs associated with a chamber over its entire lifespan, and it’s important to plan proactively to extract maximum value from your investment. Properly managing TCO is also critical for budgeting, reducing equipment-related risks, and achieving successful outcomes. By understanding and planning for TCO expenses, universities, government research organizations, ag-bio companies and commercial growers can extend the lifespan of their chambers and maximize ROI.

This Insights entry addresses multiple topics included in the total cost of ownership of a plant growth chamber and the right strategies for managing costs effectively over time.

Quick Takeaways:

• Understanding and planning for the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a plant growth chamber is essential for budgeting and achieving successful outcomes.

• The initial purchase price is only part of the TCO, which also includes maintenance, repairs, operational costs, and technological upgrades.

• Regular maintenance and preventative programs are crucial for preventing costly breakdowns and ensuring continuous operation.

• Technological upgrades and retrofitting older equipment can enhance performance, improve energy efficiency, and provide long-term savings.

• Utilizing extended warranties and service contracts offers financial predictability and peace of mind by covering major repair costs and ensuring regular maintenance.

What factors into the cost of plant growth chambers?

Plant growth chamber ownership encompasses a variety of costs incurred over the product’s life cycle, from initial purchase price to ongoing maintenance to upgrades, warranty extension and technological upgrades. Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

Initial Purchase Price

The initial purchase price of a plant growth chamber can range from a few thousand dollars for small, basic models to over a million dollars for larger, heavily customized models for the most demanding plant science research applications. Factors that influence purchase price include the size of the chamber, advanced features (e.g.: specialized lighting, integrating phenotyping systems, humidity control, CO2 control, irrigation, etc.), and the degree of customization outside of standard specifications.

Maintenance & Repairs

Regular plant growth chamber maintenance directly contributes to better performance and longer lifespans. Implementing a consistent and proactive maintenance schedule (vs. waiting for issues to arise and addressing them reactively) can prevent unexpected breakdowns and reduce overall repair costs.

Further, scheduling regular maintenance rather than breakdown maintenance can have a significant impact on protecting principal investigators, grad students, facility managers and other growers from expensive downtime that disrupts research or other growing programs on critical timelines. In other words, TCO risk is significantly lowered because experiments won’t have to be paused or restarted.

Operational Costs

Operational costs for plant growth chambers include ongoing expenses such as electricity, water, and other utilities. As equipment ages, it tends to consume more energy, which leads to higher operational costs. Strategies to reduce these costs include upgrading to energy-efficient lighting, replacing aged chambers with modern energy efficient versions, and conducting regular energy audits to identify inefficiencies.

Productivity Loss

Equipment downtime can have serious consequences for research and commercial growers in terms of lost productivity and/or lost plants - directly impacting plant growth chamber TCO. As mentioned, equipment malfunctions can disrupt experiments, cause delays, and lead to financial losses. If obsolete parts are not proactively replaced with state-of-the-art equipment you may be in the unenviable position of looking for used parts or refurbished parts with poor reliability. Scheduling urgent repairs can also lead to delays if an authorized service person is not readily available to visit your site on short notice.

Preventative measures such as regular inspections proactive service can minimize downtime. Maintaining a stock of essential spare parts also ensures quick replacements, thus reducing the impact of equipment failures on research and other growing activities.

Extended Warranties & Service Contracts

Purchasing extended warranties and service contracts can provide greater financial predictability and peace of mind. These types of agreements cover costs of repairs and maintenance, reducing unexpected expenses when equipment needs attention.

Extended warranties typically offer comprehensive coverage at a predictable cost, while pay-as-you-go repairs often lead to variable and higher expenses. By ensuring regular maintenance and covering major repair costs, extended warranties help organizations budget more effectively.

Technological Upgrades & Retrofits

Upgrading and retrofitting old plant growth chambers can significantly enhance their efficiency and functionality. While the costs of technological upgrades, such as new controllers or advanced lighting systems, can be substantial, they often lead to long-term savings.

Improved energy efficiency, enhanced environmental control, and extended equipment lifespan are some of the benefits. Successful retrofits have demonstrated improved performance and lower total cost of ownership for plant growth chambers over the long term.

Key Strategies to Lower Plant Growth Chamber Costs

Effectively managing the total cost of ownership for plant growth chambers requires a combination of proactive maintenance, technological upgrades, and strategic budgeting. The following strategies, derived from industry best practices, can help optimize TCO and ensure the longevity and efficiency of plant growth chambers.

Track & Utilize Service Histories

Keep a detailed service history for each plant growth chamber at your facility. This includes documenting every maintenance activity, repair, and upgrade. This historical data allows for better planning and forecasting of future maintenance needs. It also helps to identify recurring issues that may require more permanent solutions, ultimately reducing unexpected costs and downtime.

Your plant growth chamber manufacturer may be able to provide you with these details. Some manufacturers track all service history for every growth chamber at each client’s facility and can provide comprehensive repair/maintenance data at any time. This helps clients assess the current equipment they have in place, eliminate silos that exist across departments, multiple research nodes in other locations, and more cohesively track growth chamber maintenance activities to better manage TCO.

Implement Preventative Maintenance Programs

Develop and adhere to a preventative maintenance program. As mentioned, preventative maintenance can identify potential problems before they escalate into costly repairs or cause significant downtime, ensuring continuous operation and extending the lifespan of the equipment. This is crucial both for cost control and for ensuring reliable research continuity and outcomes.

Budget for Consistent Repairs

Establish a dedicated budget for regular repairs and maintenance activities. Allocate a percentage of the initial purchase price (recommended: 8-10% annually) to cover ongoing costs. This prevents financial surprises and ensures that funds are available when repairs are needed, allowing for timely and effective responses to any issues.

Retrofit Older Equipment

Consider retrofitting your older plant growth chambers with modern components. Upgrading to newer control systems, lighting systems, and other critical parts can enhance performance, improve energy efficiency, and extend the useful lifespan of your chambers. Retrofitting is often more cost-effective than replacing entire systems and can provide significant long-term savings.

Plan for Lifecycle Replacements

Develop a long-term plan for replacing your plant growth chambers. Managing plant growth chamber TCO requires recognizing when retrofitting and repairs make sense, and when it’s better to replace the chamber altogether because it’s reached the end of its expected usable lifespan.

Anticipate the end of the equipment’s life cycle and budget for replacements well in advance. This avoids the risk of unexpected failures and ensures you can acquire new chambers as needed without disrupting research and other operations.

Monitor & Control Energy Usage

Utilize advanced monitoring systems to track energy usage and identify inefficiencies. Implementing energy-saving measures, such as optimizing lighting schedules and upgrading to energy-efficient components (ex: LED lighting vs. fluorescent), can significantly reduce operational costs. Regular energy audits help ensure that your chambers continue to operate as efficiently as possible.

Utilize Extended Warranties & Maintenance Contracts

Leverage extended warranties to predictably manage repair and maintenance costs. These agreements cover the costs of major repairs and include regular maintenance services, reducing the likelihood of unexpected expenses. Extended warranties also provide peace of mind and certainty knowing repairs will not impact your annual budget and that your chambers will be in optimal condition.

Several large and small users of plant growth chambers and rooms frequently opt to extend their initial two-year warranties by several years (often 5+) to ensure that required maintenance is comprehensively covered. Look for companies that are industry leaders when it comes to preventative measures, including multi-point checklists of maintenance and repair activities that are handled at no cost to the client for the duration of the warranty.

In Conclusion

Effectively managing your plant growth chamber total cost of ownership requires a comprehensive approach and active management that includes regular maintenance, strategic budgeting, energy-efficient upgrades, and proactive planning. By using the strategies outlined above you can effectively optimize your TCO, enhance the longevity and the efficiency of your equipment for years to come.