Glossary

Benefits inflation rate
The annual rate at which the dollar value of benefits is expected to increase.

Construction cost:
Construction costs per square foot.

Cost inflation rate
The annual rate at which the costs are expected to increase.

Discount rate
The discount rate is the interest rate used to judge alternative uses of the organization's funds and represents the organization's cost of capital.

First costs of green (dollars)
The premium for building a green, sustainable facility, in total dollars.

First costs of green (per sf)
The premium for building a green, sustainable facility, in dollars per square foot.

Green premium
The premium for building a green, sustainable facility, as a percent of total building costs.

LEED Registration Fees
LEED Registration Fees approximated dollar amount. Please visit LEED Certification Fees for exact figures and enter them here

LEED Certification Fees
LEED Certification Fees approximated dollar amount. Please visit LEED Certification Fees for exact figures and enter them here.

Net present value (NPV)
The net present value is the present value of an investment's future net cash flows minus the initial investment. If positive, the investment should be made (unless an even better investment exists), otherwise it should not. NPVs may be negative (e.g., the patient waiting area module) and, in these cases, NPV can be used as a guide to what the costs of implementing those elements are in today's dollars.

Please note that Excel calculates NPV differently than MySNC. MySNC uses the first listed cash flow as occurring in Year 0 (initial investment). Excel uses the first listed cash flow as occurring at the end of Year 1 and therefore discounts that amount back to Year 0.

Operations & maintenance costs
The premium for operating and maintaining a green facility.

Size of clinic:
Size of clinic in square feet.

Term
Term refers to the time frame for a particular analysis. In MySNC, term typically refers to the useful building life. Architects typically plan on a 20-year term before a building needs to be reprogrammed for different uses. Users can adjust the term to suit their particular needs. Realize that shorter terms make some design decisions less financially attractive.