Environmental ROI Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the environmental roi calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Formulas Used

Total ROI

roi_pct = (lifetime_return - net_cost) / net_cost * 100

Payback Period

payback = net_cost / annual_return

Lifetime Net Profit

net_profit = lifetime_return - net_cost

Annual ROI

annual_roi = (lifetime_return - net_cost) / net_cost * 100 / project_life

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
project_costProject Investment(USD)50000
annual_savingsAnnual Energy Savings(USD)8000
annual_creditsAnnual Carbon Credit Revenue(USD)2000
incentivesTax Credits & Rebates(USD)15000
project_lifeProject Lifespan(years)20
net_costDerived value= project_cost - incentivescalculated
annual_returnDerived value= annual_savings + annual_creditscalculated
lifetime_returnDerived value= annual_return * project_lifecalculated

How It Works

How to Calculate Environmental ROI

Environmental ROI measures the financial return from green investments.

Formula

Net Cost = Investment - Incentives

Lifetime Return = (Annual Savings + Credits) * Years

ROI = (Lifetime Return - Net Cost) / Net Cost * 100

Many green projects have excellent ROI when including energy savings, carbon credits, tax incentives, and avoided regulatory costs.

Worked Example

A $50,000 project with $8,000/year savings, $2,000 credits, $15,000 incentives over 20 years.

project_cost = 50000annual_savings = 8000annual_credits = 2000incentives = 15000project_life = 20
  1. 01Net cost: $50,000 - $15,000 = $35,000
  2. 02Annual return: $8,000 + $2,000 = $10,000
  3. 03Lifetime return: $10,000 * 20 = $200,000
  4. 04Net profit: $200,000 - $35,000 = $165,000
  5. 05ROI: $165,000 / $35,000 * 100 = 471%
  6. 06Payback: $35,000 / $10,000 = 3.5 years

Ready to run the numbers?

Open Environmental ROI Calculator