Comparing & Prioritising Projects9 / 11
Financing Options & Impact on Decision
Cash purchase vs loan vs lease vs performance contract — how to compare.
10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026
A project worth doing still has to be paid for, and how it is funded changes both its true cost and whether it happens at all. Many good efficiency measures die not because they fail the NPV test but because there is no capital in the budget this year. Understanding the funding routes, and their real costs, is what turns a sound business case into an installed project. This lesson covers the four main options and how to compare them.
In this lesson
- 01The four routes
- 02Choosing between them
- 03Sources and further reading