Compare premium solid oak furniture with budget alternatives over a 20-year horizon. Input your real-world prices, lifespans, inflation, maintenance, and transport emissions to see how initial savings can influence long‑term costs and emissions, tailored for UK homeowners.
Methodology
The calculator models purchases at year 0 and then every L years within a 20-year window. Each purchase costs P0 multiplied by (1 + r) raised to the number of years since year 0. Maintenance is added each year. For carbon, each purchased item contributes initial delivery CO2e and end-of-life disposal CO2e. The 20-year total CO2e is the sum of all deliveries and end-of-life disposals, with annualized CO2e shown as a simple average over 20 years. A breakeven year shows when cumulative oak costs equal cumulative budget costs, if at all within 20 years.