Introduction

Data Limits

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FAQ

Formulae

History

Known Issues

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Log File

Release Notes

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Screen Shot

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Using

Using EnCalcL Latest Version: 3.4 Size: 426KB Released 10-February-2010

General
EnCalcL can be used in several ways. It can be used to work out the running cost or total cost of a single item or it can be used to compare one or two items under identical or different conditions.

The cost of water is usually made up of two parts: the cost of water by volume and the cost of sewerage by volume which is often related directly to the amount of water used. There is often a sewerage volume allowance which reduces the sewerage volume to allow for the fact that not all water used goes down the drain.

Hovering over the various data boxes with the mouse will show the Tool Tips which give information as to what the box is for and what the data limits are if it is for data entry. Entering invalid data will cause an error message to be displayed explaining what data is wrong. These errors must be resolved before the calculate function will work. Use the tab key to move sequentially between data boxes or the mouse pointer to select individual boxes. See Data Limits for the limits used by the program. If the savings are negative the savings results are shown in orange.

To work out just just the running cost of an item without taking into account purchase price, set Cost to 0 (or leave it empty). The program will work with data in either or both of Item 1 and Item 2. Whilst the water volume cost is required, the sewerage volume cost and sewerage volume allowance are optional and can be set to 0 or left blank if required. If the sewerage Volume Charge is set to zero or blank then the Volume Allowance must also be 0 or blank. The Notes box is used to add short notes to make sense of saved calculations at a later date and record other useful data. The Payback Period is used to spread the Item Cost over a specified period.

For real examples of using the program look at the Log File and to see how the results are calculated click on Formulae.

Currency & Date Format
This is defined by the settings in the computer Regional Options which can be accessed via the Control Panel. The currency symbol reflects the settings in the Currency Tab. The date format in the log file reflects the Short Date format setting in the Date Tab. The currency or date settings can be changed with the program running. Currency changes will be reflected next time Calculate. Reset Data or Clear are clicked. Date format changes will be effective for the next new calculation. Entering a different currency symbol to that selected in the Regional Options Currency Tab will be treated as an error.

Volume Units
By default EnCalcL works in cubic metres and litres, however ticking the Volume Units checkbox changes the program to work in gallons.

Water Data Values
The cost of water and sewerage and payback time plus whether the program runs on top and how save works can be saved as default values by clicking on the Save Data button - this function requires administration privileges. The Reset Data button can be used to restore the saved data.

Inflation
Inflation is added to both the water and sewerage volume costs but not the item cost. The Water Volume Costs, Sewerage Volume Costs, Cost per Day and Cost per Quarter are the costs at the end of the Payback Period including inflation. Inflation can be either positive or negative. Only complete payback period years are used for inflation calculations. See formulae for further details.

Logging
The log file can be used to capture the results of calculations. Any internal program errors will also be written to the log file if possible. A start up message including a date and time stamp is written to the log file each time the program is started which includes the program version. By clicking on the Archive button the results log file can be saved and a new one created. See log file for details of the location and naming of archived results files. It is also possible to clear the log file with out archiving it by clicking on the Archive button and selecting No when prompted.