[hackerspaces] Good morning from Alabama & some finance questions

[Felicitus]

> I need to nail down our probably workshop electricity usage in terms of kilowatt hours, so that I can better estimate our
> probable first year's electricity costs. Does anyone on the list have numbers they can share? We're looking at two 
> scenarios, based on a membership of 40 - 45 versus one of  60 - 65. Specific shop tools have not yet been determined,
> but if necessary, I can put together a list.

This is really hard to estimate and from my personal experience the
amount of members doesn't matter too much. In fact, I'd say: Completely
ignore the amount of members.

A better approach: Start off by measuring your permanent running
infrastructure (Freezers, Fridge, Routers, Switches). Measure the power
consumption of your lights. That will make up the most of your
electricity bill. Even if you have lots of power tools, it's unlikely
that they run even near 24/7.

At RaumZeitLabor, we have an average power consumption of about
700W-1000W, with 300W min (when our space is closed). That's about 4€
per day and 120€ per month. We discussed power saving stuff more than
once, and the sad truth is: It can be done, but at high implementation
costs. I don't know how much your members pay, but in our case, we need
5 non-discounted members to pay the electricity bill with their
membership fees.

cheers
Felicitus