Data Center & Infrastructure Equipment Manufacturing worked example

Burn-in Energy Cost at 58% energy charged to this build: a worked example

This worked example runs the burn-in energy cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 58% energy charged to this build instead of the typical 80%. Estimate electricity cost for burn-in, load bank testing, thermal cycling, or endurance testing of data-center power and cooling equipment.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Burn-in chamber energy use: 100 kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Test-bay electricity rate: 45 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Energy charged to this build: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)
  • Fixed test rig and demand charge: 250 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Allocated burn-in electricity cost = burn-in energy use × electricity cost for testing × test energy assigned to product.
  • Total burn-in energy cost works out to 2,860 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Burn-in cost per kWh basis works out to 28.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Allocated burn-in electricity cost works out to 2,610 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed test setup or demand cost works out to 250 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where energy charged to this build sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 25.71% below the baseline at 2,860 $.
  • Use it when quoting a new platform, justifying soak duration, or rebilling burn-in energy to a specific program or customer. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total burn-in energy cost: 2,860 $ (headline result)
  • Burn-in cost per kWh basis: 28.6 $ / piece
  • Allocated burn-in electricity cost: 2,610 $
  • Fixed test setup or demand cost: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Burn-in Energy Cost calculator, set energy charged to this build to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.