There are a lot of questions that come up when you’re considering a spa purchase. You may be concerned (rightly) about how much your electric bill will increase. Such worries are understandable since hot tubs used to require a great deal of power to maintain a constant high temperature. After all, we’ve all heard the horror stories of hot tub owners paying upwards of $50-100 a month for their spa.
If you’re planning on purchasing a new hot tub, though, we have 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 spa to your backyard.
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 spa 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 spa is insulated
• Whether your hot tub has a well-made, custom-fitting cover
Generally, we find that owners of Hot Spring and Caldera Spas locally report an increase of their electric bill of just $15 – $20 per month.
WHAT AFFECTS A SPA’S ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION?
Frequency of use drives the cost to operate a hot tub up or down. The more use a spa 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 your filters regularly will reduce your spa’s electrical consumption. When you buy a spa from us, we give you a matching spa cover and filter cleaner to keep those filters in good shape.
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 spa 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 the new Frog @Ease system on our Vacanza and Hot Spot tubs, you should drain and refill your spa water every four months. Upgrade to a spa with the FreshWater Salt System, and you’ll only need to change out your water once a year (with standard usage and proper water care). After refilling your hot tub, the subsequent reheating will likely cause a small increase in the next electric bill again.
The latest Hot Spring innovation to offset those reheating costs is the FreshWater Salt Water System, which can keep your water clean and fresh for up to a year.