I guess it's worth asking what your non 24/7 costs are before being able to provide a useful answer to this question :)
As an aside, 24/7 is something that a lot of people think they want, but actual utilization varies dramatically so any answer here will be a "your milage may vary" kind of answer. The key thing for a lot of people turns to be the "ability" to choose work whenever they want, even if they don't take advantage of it often. A lot of startup-focused spaces seem to offer 24/7 access (my guess is because that's one of the points of pride of startup culture), but almost every non-startup-focused coworking space I've visited started clearing out at more natural business hours. So it really comes down to your people. Are people asking for 24/7, or are you creating an option for a theoretical member who you haven't found yet? We've opted to make 24/7 access an option ONLY for full time members, and only once they're able to let themselves into the space (which is after a 30 day waiting period and with 3 sign-offs from existing key holding members to verify trust). This lets us avoid paying staff to be here when nobody is here (or when just a few people are here, which is the majority of nights and weekends). For the members who are interested in evening hours because they have full time jobs, we offer one night a week "night owls" that's staffed by a team of volunteer members. One more point on the "cost" of 24/7 access - before implementing some of the steps we have to get keys, we had some people who got full time memberships *just* to work from the space nights and weekends. This opened the door for the kind of "renters" that Trek talks about in this post: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/coworking/Minn_6q6K9M/PJ9YJ-D92H4J "Coming in and not saying hello or always keeping your headphones on is just as much underpayment as a bounced check or declined credit card." If you're offering 24/7 access in a way that members can avoid other members and simply get a cheap desk, consider the ripple effects of this kind of non-participation on your community and what you can do to discourage it while still offering 24/7 access. -Alex -- /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Monday, July 23, 2012 at 11:23 AM, Cody Sullivan wrote: > We have the whole building, which isn't too big (2,500 sq ft), and it has > good ventilation. We have decided to scale-up to 24 hour access if there's a > big enough demand. I do notice a lot of coworking spaces offer 24/7 access > though. So, I'm wondering if this amenity really helps pull in new members. > I'm also curious how often members take advantage of it and whether it > significantly increases utility bills. Thanks for the feedback so far! > > On Friday, July 20, 2012 2:14:15 PM UTC-4, Jerome wrote: > > Yes and if you're in a class A building, they often charge more for running > > HVAC after hours and weekends....sometimes $50-$150/hr!!! > > > > > > Jerome > > ______________ > > BLANKSPACES > > "work FOR yourself, not BY yourself" > > > > www.blankspaces.com (http://www.blankspaces.com) > > 5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea) Los Angeles, CA 90036 > > 323.330.9505 (office) > > On Jul 20, 2012, at 11:12 AM, Veel Hoeden- Where Many Hats Meet! wrote: > > > Jerome- Good point. I guess what I was trying to say is that other than > > > it running to keep a stable temp, I have never had someone crank up the > > > air at 10p because they were hot, regardless of the temp outside. 72-74 > > > degrees feels pretty good in the summer when you are working late at > > > night, just as it does when you are working at 2p. > > > > > > Thanks & God Bless, > > > > > > Joel Bennett > > > Chief Dreamchaser > > > Veel Hoeden > > > 641-780-7858 > > > veelhoeden.posterous.com > > > Join Us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/veelhoeden)! > > > > > > <image001.png> (http://ink1003.com/p/tp/3ee1a6d9cb9fb511/url) > > > > > > > > > From: coworking@googlegroups.com (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com) > > > [mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jerome Chang > > > Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 1:09 PM > > > To: coworking@googlegroups.com (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com) > > > Subject: Re: [Coworking] Utility costs with 24/7 access > > > > > > Please keep in mind that no matter how hot or cold it might be, you need > > > to keep the fans on or the air will be stale [and inhumane]...unless you > > > happen to have windows and/or great natural circulation. > > > > > > > > > Jerome > > > ______________ > > > > > > BLANKSPACES > > > "work FOR yourself, not BY yourself" > > > > > > www.blankspaces.com (http://www.blankspaces.com) > > > 5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea) Los Angeles, CA 90036 > > > 323.330.9505 (office) > > > > > > On Jul 20, 2012, at 11:07 AM, Veel Hoeden- Where Many Hats Meet! wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > We run 24/7 and I can't say I notice much. AC doesn't run much at all > > > once the sun goes down regardless if there is someone in the space. If > > > you are too worried about it, install a programmable thermostat to > > > regulate the temp after hours. > > > > > > > > > Thanks & God Bless, > > > > > > > > > > > > Joel Bennett > > > > > > Chief Dreamchaser > > > > > > Veel Hoeden > > > > > > 641-780-7858 > > > > > > veelhoeden.posterous.com > > > > > > Join Us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/veelhoeden)! > > > > > > > > > > > > <image001.png> (http://ink1003.com/p/tp/3ee1a6d9cb9fb511/url) > > > > > > > > > > > > From: coworking@googlegroups.com (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com) > > > [mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Cody Sullivan > > > Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 1:04 PM > > > To: coworking@googlegroups.com (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com) > > > Subject: [Coworking] Utility costs with 24/7 access > > > > > > > > > Forgive me if this has already been asked. I searched the forum, but > > > couldn't find anything. For those who offer 24/7 access, does it affect > > > your utility bills much? I just imagine having one person stay really > > > late and running the AC for another 6 hours or so. I know most people > > > don't take advantage of 24/7 access even if they want it... nonetheless, > > > I'm curious if it makes a noticeable difference to bills. > > > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > > "Coworking" group. > > > To view this discussion on the web visit > > > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/coworking/-/4IbccmuqYBwJ. > > > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com). > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com). > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > > > > > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > > "Coworking" group. > > > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com). > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com). > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > > "Coworking" group. > > > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com). > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com). > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > > "Coworking" group. > > > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com). > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > > > (mailto:coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com). > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/coworking/-/lsiT-rSrdcUJ. > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com > (mailto:coworking@googlegroups.com). > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > (mailto:coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com). > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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