Factoring Utility Costs into Business Plan

February 26, 2007 10:13 AM

How does one estimate utilitiy costs utilities in 4000 square foot retail space?

I am in the process of developing a business plan for a yoga studio and would like to know how does one calculate average utility costs for the year. Are their any sites out there that calculate costs per square foot?

posted by goalyeehah to work & money (3 comments total)

Energy costs would vary depending on things like the amount of insulation, type of heating, type of fuel used, etc. I don't know of any websites that offer what you want, but you could benchmark. Ask other businesses in the same development what their utility costs are. You could also ask the utility company to give you historic usage for the property.
posted by SMELLSLIKEFUN at 10:33 AM on February 26, 2007

Where I live, you can get a rundown of past electrical costs from the utility, if you provide an address.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 2:00 PM on February 26, 2007

Very much depends on where you live. Air conditioning costs vary geographically, as do utility rates. The electric utility in Northern Ca will not provide historical data as far as I know.

You could try asking a mom and pop bookstore (or something similar) what they pay per month, and extrapolate from there.

If your talking about Bikram Yoga, well--expect very high costs to heat a room to 95+ degrees.
posted by vaportrail at 7:15 PM on February 26, 2007