Skip to main content

Lifecycle cost of a public address and voice alarm (PAVA) system

For the cost of a Public Address and Voice Alarm (PAVA) system, understanding whole life costs is critical to making informed decisions at the time of selecting the solution. Especially as PAVA systems needs to be in operation 24/7 and are typically required to last 10-15 years.

cost of a public address and voice alarm (PAVA) system

Total cost of a public address and voice alarm (PAVA) system

When acquiring and managing assets, understanding whole life costs, or total cost of ownership (TCO), is essential. This encompasses all expenses associated with owning, operating, and decommissioning a system over its lifespan, going far beyond just the initial purchase price. The initial purchase price usually accounts for about 20% of TCO, with the remaining 80% dedicated to managing costs such as support, fixes, and recovery.

In this blog, we highlight some of the key considerations that are crucial for budgeting and long-term planning when selecting a PAVA supplier for your next project.

Maintenance and Downtime Reduction

Simplifying maintenance reduces ongoing downtime and costs.

  • Hot-swappable features are invaluable, as they give you the possibly to replace the components at any time without service interruption, not just during off-hours..
  • An IP-based PAVA system with remote monitoring capabilities allows you to remotely monitor and manage devices, and therefore, reduces the need for on-site visits.

Zenitel’s modular, VIPEDIA-based architecture allows easy replacement of individual modules, while remote diagnostics and configuration controls eliminate the need for on-site perimeter changes. Zenitel's PAVA solutions are built with advanced diagnostic and monitoring tools, making it easier to identify and address issues before they escalate. This proactive maintenance approach lowers operational costs and minimizes downtime.

Upgradability and Longevity

Anticipating the system’s lifespan and its upgradability ensures long-term cost optimization. Products that support phased upgrades and offer backward compatibility allow organizations to extend the system’s life beyond the typical 10-15 years, adapting to evolving needs without a significant upfront expenditure.

Zenitel’s VIPEDIA is backward compatible with the legacy V400 range and fully supports the IP-based API, ensuring seamless third-party integrations. In addition, Zenitel PAVA systems are engineered with high-quality components and designed to last more than 10 years. This durability reduces the frequency of replacements and minimizes long-term maintenance costs.

System Reliability

High reliability is essential in critical applications like VA systems. Reliable equipment minimises disruptions and reduces repair and replacement costs over time. Zenitel ensures high-system reliability through robust design and redundant components, significantly reducing the risk of costly downtime.

Zenitel’s Public Address and Voice Alarm solutions are designed to work in regulated safety industries where system uptime of voice communication is paramount for the safety and security of assets. With inherent redundancy and resilience built at the system and product levels, Zenitel’s PAVA solutions are designed to withstand multiple points of failure, ensuring uninterrupted performance and reducing the risk of costly system downtime.

At the system level, we offer high availability clusters with active standby controllers, giving you protection against any failures of controllers or amplifier frames or an amplifier module within a frame. At the product level, we offer unique features such as hardware bypass and network redundancy with a secure loop, which allows you to maintain an operational PAVA, even in the case of a device failure.

Lower Power Consumption

Optimising power usage has a huge impact on lowering operational costs and supports sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint. Energy-efficient designs and power management strategies are key. Delivering this without compromising system reliability and performance is the challenge.

Zenitel’s innovative ‘sleep technology’ significantly reduces power consumption by putting all processes, except for a monitoring heartbeat, into sleep mode during quiescent operation. When not in active use, the amplifiers are ‘slept’ to reduce power consumption and only ‘woken’ periodically to enable monitoring. An amplifier module inside the V2000 frame consumes less than 25mA when in idle mode. This also helps to extend battery life, ensuring longer operation during power outages.

Lower power consumption also results in more efficient heat management, reducing energy consumption that is needed for forced cooling mechanisms like air conditioning. This culminates in a noticeable drop in ongoing operational costs and the system’s overall environmental impact.

Compact and Efficient Design

Reducing the size and weight of the system can lead to significant savings. Compact equipment reduces transportation and logistics costs and optimises space usage, potentially avoiding the need for additional infrastructure.

Zenitel’s V2000 amplifier solution, for example, provides up to 2,000W and 10 zones in a compact 2U module, reducing the need for multiple cabinets into one. Our high-power, density amplifiers save up to a 45% on rack-space for the same zone/power requirement compared to other products in the market.

Conclusion

Incorporating whole life costs into the economic appraisal of any Public Address and Voice Alarm systems is essential for maximising value and sustainability. Zenitel excels in minimising these costs through innovative designs and strategic considerations. By focusing on ease of maintenance, system reliability, power efficiency, heat management, expected lifespan, and upgradability, organizations can make informed decisions that optimize costs and align with environmental and social impact goals.

By investing upfront in Zenitel solutions, our customers save thousands pounds over their system's lifetime.

Speak to us today to find out more.

Explore how Zenitel can support your organization’s sustainability goals with our state-of-the-art Sustainable Public Address and Voice Alarm Solution.