Laura has been using the EOQ model to determine an optimal lot size to order for bales of coffee for her coffee shop. The purchased coffee has been stored in a huge leased warehouse in downtown Albany, OR$.$ This year, the cost of leasing this temperature$-$controlled warehouse is lower than that of last year. Hence, everything else being equal, Laura should use, for this year, a new EOQ $($lot size$)$ level that is $\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_$ compared to that $($i$.$e$.,$ the EOQ level$)$ used during the last year.

Group of answer choices

higher

lower

equal

It depends.