Operating efficiency of generating units depends on factors like the fuel used, labor required, loading patterns, duration of operation, and reliability. It varies between units due to differences in their capability curves and varying levels of wear, maintenance issues, and mechanical efficiency based on the manufacturer. Shifts in a unit's production function, which relates power output to inputs like fuel, labor, availability, and auxiliaries consumption, can affect its operating efficiency over time as these input coefficients change with wear and tear. Input costs also vary between units due to differences in wear and tear, technology, brand of generators, and age of machinery, and impact the production efficiency, which needs to be maintained positively.