If you're thinking of buying a hot tub, you may be concerned about how much your electric bill will increase. Such worries are understandable; after all, hot tubs used to require a great deal of power to maintain a constant high temperature. If you're purchasing a new hot tub, though, there's good news: In recent years, spa manufacturers have exponentially improved hot tub energy efficiency, and thus the change in your monthly electric bill is likely to be much less than you fear. Here, we'll address some of your most frequently-asked questions about how much your electric bill is likely to increase when you add a new hot tub to your home.
HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY DOES A HOT TUB USE?
If you're thinking of buying a hot tub, you may be concerned about how much your electric bill will increase. Such worries are understandable; after all, hot tubs used to require a great deal of power to maintain a constant high temperature. If you're purchasing a new hot tub, though, there's good news: In recent years, spa manufacturers have exponentially improved hot tub energy efficiency, and thus the change in your monthly electric bill is likely to be much less than you fear. Here, we'll address some of your most frequently-asked questions about how much your electric bill is likely to increase when you add a new hot tub to your home.
HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY DOES A HOT TUB USE?
For any large-ticket item, many variables factor into the overall cost. The total cost of a hot tub depends upon its size, quality, design, and location, while the amount of energy your hot tub uses depends upon the following:
- The cost of energy per kilowatt in your location
- Your location's climate
- The size of your hot tub
- How well your hot tub is insulated
- Whether your hot tub has a well-made, custom-fitting cover.
This monthly energy costs calculator factors in your climate, the cost of energy in your location, and your hot tub's size and model to help you estimate how much your monthly energy bill will increase. In general, owners of hot tubs from Hot Spring® Spas report an increase in their electric bill of just $10 to $20 per month.
WHAT AFFECTS A HOT TUB'S ELECTRIC CONSUMPTION?
- Frequency of use drives the cost to operate a hot tub up or down. The more use a hot tub receives, the more energy it requires. More use means more heat loss, which forces the hot tub's system and components to work harder.
- Taking good care of your tub by using a high-quality, well-fitting insulated cover and cleaning the filters regularly will reduce your hot tub's electrical consumption.
- Heating up your water adds more to your monthly electric bill than maintaining the water at a constant high temperature. After you heat up your new hot tub for the first time, your next electric bill will be slightly higher than it will be in subsequent months.
- Spa water replacement is part of normal maintenance. With some systems, you'll need to drain and refill the hot tub two to three times each year. After refilling your spa, the water will need to be heated, which will cause a small increase in your next electric bill
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The latest Hot Spring innovation to offset the reheating costs is the FreshWater® salt water system. With proper care, this system will keep your water clean and fresh for up to a year.
SHOULD I TURN OFF MY HOT TUB WHEN IT'S NOT IN USE?
No. Turning off your spa between uses does not save money. Once the water is heated to your preferred temperature, you'll save energy—and money—by keeping it there. It costs more to reheat the water from scratch every time you turn it on. Even if you only use your hot tub once a week, you should still leave it constantly running. For vacations of up to two weeks, you may choose to lower your water temperature to as low as eighty degrees, but otherwise leave your spa operating as usual.
If your tub will be left unattended for more than two weeks, you may wish to consider draining your tub, then refilling it upon your return. As this can be a complicated procedure, consider having a trusted individual periodically monitor your hot tub's water quality in your absence instead, or use the Connextion™ mobile app, a remote monitoring service that automatically alerts you and your hot tub dealer to any potential problems with your spa while you're away.
WILL IT BE TOO EXPENSIVE TO HEAT MY HOT TUB IN THE WINTER?
While energy costs do increase in cold weather, an energy-efficient hot tub with good insulation won't cause your electric bill to spike dangerously in the winter months. Our energy cost calculator can give you an idea of how much your bill might increase in winter: A hot tub model that costs $13.92 per month to heat at an electrical rate of $0.11 kWh in 75-degree weather in Miami, Florida will cost $36.61 per month to heat at the same electrical rate in 35-degree weather in International Falls, Minnesota. You'll pay more to heat your hot tub in winter, but with a well-insulated model, the increase won't be dramatic.
HOW MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE IS A LARGE HOT TUB THAN A SMALL HOT TUB?
Running a larger spa is slightly more expensive—after all, there's more water to heat—but once again, the increase won't be dramatic, as long as you own an energy-efficient hot tub. Referring once more to the energy cost calculator, you can compare the monthly cost of heating a Grandee® hot tub, the largest model offered by Hot Spring Spas, to the monthly cost of heating the much-smaller Jetsetter® hot tub. In the moderate climate of St. Louis, Missouri, the Grandee would cost $20.67 per month to run, while the Jetsetter would cost $16.02. Considering the size difference—the Grandee holds a whopping 460 gallons of water, as opposed to the 210 gallons the Jetsetter can hold—this difference is negligible.
HOW CAN I KEEP HOT TUB ENERGY COSTS AS LOW AS POSSIBLE?
Energy conservation rests to some extent in the hands of hot tub owners. By following all your manufacturer's instructions and the advice of your dealer for spa operation and maintenance, you can keep your energy costs within reason. To maximize energy efficiency, always leave your spa running with the water set at a constant temperature, clean your filters regularly, and keep your spa covered with a well-fitting high-quality insulating cover when not in use.
HOW DOES HOT SPRING KEEP ENERGY COSTS LOW?
Energy efficiency is important to us, so we work constantly to find new ways to improve our high-quality products and lower your hot tub operating costs. Every aspect of a Hot Spring Spas hot tub is designed with energy efficiency in mind:
- The SilentFlo 5000®circulation pump, found in our Highlife®and Limelight®collections, continuously circulates water while using less energy than a forty-watt light bulb. This pump decreases the need for long heating cycles and filtration, which saves you from high electricity costs.
- WaveMaster® jet pumps save money by only being activated and powered on as needed.
- The SmartJet®system allows you to select which jets to power, which ultimately results in lower overall energy consumption.
- Custom-fit spa covers prevent heat loss. Our covers are made with multiple layers of polyurethane foam, which trap heat inside the spa. This foam expands and contracts to fill all gaps.
- Staying on top of the latest technological developments in insulation allows us to manufacture the most energy-efficient hot tubs available. Our Limelight® and Hot Spot® spas use our proprietary FiberCor®insulation, while our luxury Highlife® spas use multi-density full foam insulation.
- Our LED lights used in all of our spas use less electricity than standard bulbs.
SHOULD I UPGRADE TO A NEW HOT TUB TO REDUCE MY ELECTRIC BILL?
The hot tubs of ten or twenty years ago relied on high-powered jet pumps to heat the water, causing dramatic increases in energy costs. If your hot tub is more than a decade old, it's probably time to consider trading in your old spa for a more energy efficient model. Great advances have been made in energy efficiency within the past five years, so even if your current model has several years of life left in it, you might find it worthwhile to talk to your local hot tub dealer about whether an upgrade is a good choice for you.
Hot tubs from Hot Spring Spas are well-known for their high quality, superb performance, and energy efficiency. If you have any additional questions about how a Hot Spring hot tub would affect your electric bill, call your local hot tub dealer. They're your best resource for information about hot tub ownership in your area.