Cost of Ownership
Power analyzers are the kind of product that many people falsely assume will be a one-time expense of whatever price is listed by the manufacturer or distributor. Unfortunately, the reality is that to get the best value and to assure you and your customers that the measurements are accurate you will want to factor in the cost of maintenance and updates.
Maintenance
Periodic Calibration
Your analyzer is as good as its measurements are. Industry standard time between calibrations is 1 year. Most analyzers do not vary much over time, but if you are providing measurements to decision-makers, it is a relatively low cost to re-calibrate the analyzer each year in order to eliminate any question about accuracy and to be certain that decisions are based on facts.
Your current probes are a bigger source of error than the analyzer is over time. Be sure they can be calibrated (many cannot be). All PowerSight current probes can be calibrated.
Some manufacturers provide calibration services for their own equipment, some do not. Often times, the ones that do offer calibrations charge hundreds of dollars for the analyzer alone, plus additional costs for individual current probes. If done every year, this can get very expensive over time. It’s possible to even spend ¼ of the analyzer’s list price for calibrations every year!
PowerSight warranties cover one calibration of the analyzer and its set of current probes each year, plus any needed battery replacements.
“Fixes” and Improvements
Just like an app on your phone, a power analyzer needs updates to fix bugs and errors that are found over time. To our knowledge, every power analyzer manufacturer provides free firmware updates for bug fixes. Generally, performance upgrades are not included in these firmware updates because that would be providing additional features that the customer has not paid for. PowerSight warranties include both “fixes” and feature enhancements whenever possible. PowerSight warranties can normally be renewed or even reinstated, year after year, providing no-cost repairs for a wide array of circumstances.
It is not uncommon for manufacturers to offer a one to three year warranty on the power analyzer and accessories in case of defects. If a product in your system breaks, they will repair or replace it for no additional charge. However, what if your equipment fails in year four? In most cases, the user is forced to buy replacement equipment for a system that should have lasted longer. This can be hundreds, even thousands of extra dollars at times (per system) depending on what parts fail. PowerSight makes this tough situation easily avoidable.
How PowerSight Does it Better
We offer comprehensive deluxe warranties/maintenance plans to cover all of these concerns. Every analyzer and system includes a 1-year (minimum) deluxe warranty with the opportunity to add an extended warranty at the time of purchase. Each extended or renewed deluxe warranty is one low price and includes the following coverage:
- Firmware UPGRADES – meaning you can get additional features and enhancements added to your analyzer, in addition to bug fixes. It’s sort of like getting a new and improved analyzer for a very low price.
- All basic firmware and PC software updates/bug fixes are free, regardless of warranty status
- Yearly calibrations for the power analyzer and current probes
- Value: $200
- Full repair or replacement of the analyzer and all accessories purchased at the same time
- Since your warranty can be renewed indefinitely, you can get new probes (for example) if yours fail after 15 years, under certain circumstances. As long as the equipment is under warranty, you’re covered.
- Includes battery replacements
- Value: up to the full price of the system. Depends on the items that need repair, if any
So, What’s the Cost of Ownership Over Time?
We strive to provide the highest quality products and also give you the opportunity to cover all maintenance at a fair, low price. Over time, this decreases the cost of owning the equipment, which is how it should be!
*Cost over time based on continual purchase of 2-year deluxe warranty (extended & reinstated) for PowerSight analyzers, and yearly calibrations for brands X and Z. Values may be lower if the owner does not need yearly calibrations. Costs for brand X calculated with one $600 repair at year 6, and for brand Z with one repair at year 6 worth 10% of the analyzer’s MSRP.
| Model # | Included Warranty | Yearly Warranty Cost | 1 Year (Up-Front) Cost | Total 5 Year Cost | Average Cost at Year 5 | Total 10 Year Cost | Average Cost at Year 10 |
| Brand X | 3-Year | Not Offered | $1,275 | $2,511 | $502 | $4,631 | $463 |
| PS3550 | 1-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $2,495 | $3,635 | $727 | $5,125 | $512 |
| PK3564 | 1-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $4,290 | $5,430 | $1,086 | $6,920 | $692 |
| PK3564-PRO | 1-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $4,560 | $5,700 | $1,140 | $7,190 | $719 |
| PK3564-PRO+ | 2-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $4,995 | $5,840 | $1,168 | $7,330 | $733 |
| PS4550 | 1-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $4,995 | $6,135 | $1,227 | $7,625 | $763 |
| PK4564 | 1-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $6,995 | $8,135 | $1,627 | $9,625 | $963 |
| PK4564-PRO | 1-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $7,295 | $8,435 | $1,687 | $9,925 | $993 |
| PK4564-PRO+ | 2-Year Deluxe | $250 – $395 | $7,750 | $8,595 | $1,719 | $10,085 | $1,009 |
| PS5000 | 1-Year Deluxe | $275 – $395 | $5,745 | $6,885 | $1,377 | $8,375 | $838 |
| PK5064 | 1-Year Deluxe | $275 – $395 | $7,540 | $8,680 | $1,736 | $10,170 | $1,017 |
| PK5064-PRO | 1-Year Deluxe | $275 – $395 | $7,810 | $8,950 | $1,790 | $10,440 | $1,044 |
| PK5064-PRO+ | 2-Year Deluxe | $275 – $395 | $8,295 | $9,140 | $1,828 | $10,630 | $1,063 |
| Brand Z | 3-Year | Not Offered | $10,916 | $12,516 | $2,503 | $15,608 | $1,561 |
For complete coverage of the analyzer and all accessories in the system (including updates, calibrations, and repairs), the average annual cost of ownership at year ten is only 13-20% of the up-front cost, depending on the model. This is extremely low for the industry, especially considering that most manufacturers do not have a maintenance plan for repairing faulty equipment after more than a few years.
Bottom Line
We want you to use your PowerSight systems for a long time, so we provide the maintenance plans to make that an affordable reality. This is not an option you can find with any other power analyzer manufacturer because no one is committed to your success like we are.
Helpful Documents
Benefits of Extending Your Warranty
Deluxe Warranty Details & Limitations
Limited Warranty for Discontinued Models
7/16/21
RG