Calculate and Compare Costs In Excel - New kalmstrom.com Tip

Excel is an excellent program to use if you need to calculate de costs of different alternatives. Excel formulas make it easy to see how figures change when new options are selected, and with the Excel charts you can visualize the figures and compare them more easily. I am showing this in a new demo about Excel calculations in the kalmstrom.com Tips section.

Flooring costs
In my example I calculate costs for different floor materials in an imaginary house renovation. The house has thirteen rooms of different sizes, and there are five floor materials of different costs to choose among.  In my Excel table I can see how costs varies depending on floor material, for the room as well as for the whole building.

Many tips
In my tutorial I show how do create the formulas needed, and in the process I also explain other useful things about Excel, such as

• Set number format
  
• Create a multiply formula
  
• Name an array of cells
  
• Create a vertical lookup formula
  
• Use the AutoSum button
• Copy format
• Create a data validation rule

Pivot chart
Finally I create a pivot chart where I can see more clearly how any changes I make in the tables affect the proportions of the flooring costs for the different materials.


By Peter Kalmstrom
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions