Are you thinking of buying a hot tub or an inflatable lazy spa? Or do you already have one and wonder why your bills have gone up so much? Take a look at how much it really costs to run a hot tub and a few ways how to keep those bills down.
How much does it cost to run a hot tub or lazy spa?
If you’re using the tub for eight months per year in the UK, with water, energy and cleaning taken into account, a 1,000-litre tub should cost you around £880 per year (an average of £110 per month) to heat and keep clean. Of course, the bigger the tub, the more it will cost to run.
If you can find a more efficient tub, you might pay around £552, or around £69 per month.
I never wanted a hot tub…
In 2020, along with 1000’s of others, we bought a hot tub. In all honesty, I wasn’t too keen but was outvoted by my family. I’m a big fan of them when I’m on holiday in Florida, but not so keen when sat in my garden listening to next door playing football and shouting at each other.
And another major factor that put me off was the cost of running it. But below, I’ll show you how much it costs me to run my hot tub and share some ideas on reducing the cost.
How much does a hot tub cost?
It really depends on the type you want to go for. Small spas suitable for 2 – 4 people usually start at around £300. For 4 – 6, expect to pay in the £500 region. But the more features they have, the more they cost. And if you’re looking at buying a more permanent hot tub (i.e. not one that is inflatable), then you can be looking at £1,000s.
And then, you need to consider the cost of actually running the tub.
Finding the true cost of running a hot tub
Finding the answer to this question was much harder than I had hoped. Typing in ‘how much does it cost to run a hot tub?’ into google produces a lot of articles, most from hot tub companies themselves. And the fact is, they’re more likely to give you the figures for their most economical tubs. Buying a hot tub isn’t a cheap thing to do in the first place and the last thing you want to do is scare people off with the running costs.
What you need to consider
In defence of hot tub companies, there are a lot of factors that you need to consider when calculating the costs. These include:
- The size of your tub. Generally, the bigger it is, the more it costs to run.
- The insulation. Some tubs have far better insulation than others. This will reduce the amount of heat loss.
- Your location and the time of year. If the temperature outside is colder, your hot tub will lose heat quicker.
- How often it‘s used. If you’re in and out of the tub often, it will lose heat more quickly.
- Use of the jets. Using the jets when you’re in the hot tub will increase energy usage and lead to the loss of more heat.
- Your electricity provider. Another major consideration will be who provides your energy. Some companies have far better rates than others.
How much electricity does a hot tub use?
This does depend on the points I mentioned above – the size of your tub, how modern it is, the insulation and how often you use it. But on average, hot tubs require between 13 – 40 amps to run and consume around 4 and 8 kWh throughout the day.
The heating costs for my hot tub
For comparison, we have a LAY-Z-SPA from Bestway similar to this one from Amazon. It has a capacity of almost 1,000 litres and a handy app so I can turn it on and off from my phone. Although now, I’m just showing off.
Fortunately, I have a smart meter fitted, which means it’s quite easy for me to monitor my energy usage. The readings were taken in May and June (with June averaging well over 20 degrees) and I am based in the South-East.
On average, my hot tub was using around 8 kWh per day. This could be more on cooler days, or less when it was hotter. But what does that equate to in cost?
My energy provider Octopus charges about 35p per kWh. That means it was costing me £2.80 per day. For a 30-day month, that’s £84. As we plan to use the hot tub for eight months of the year, the total electricity costs would be just over £672.
Should I leave my hot tub on all the time?
The common answer to this question always seems to be a resounding yes, but I wouldn’t be so sure. If you’re an avid user and jump in your hot tub almost every day, then there’s no real point in turning the heating off. However, if there are going to be a few days where you plan to give it a miss, then it may be best to power it down.
People often argue that if your spa is heated to a constant temperature, it doesn’t need to work so hard when you need it to get to a set temperature. But think about this. The hotter your water is, the quicker it will cool to match the temperature outside the tub. That means your water will constantly drop in temperature. As your hot tub works hard to keep the water temperature to a certain level, it adds money to your electricity bill.
On average, most tubs take 1 hour to increase the heat by 2 degrees Celsius. So assuming that your water drops to 20 degrees, reheating to a suitable temperature should take around 7 hours.
So, if you only use your tub a couple of times per week, it may be worth turning the heat off when not in use. But remember to turn the filter pump on from time to time.
Other costs
But it’s not just the purchase of the hot tub and electricity you need to worry about. There are several other costs that come with ownership too.
Filling the tub
This is location-dependent as you don’t have a choice in changing your water supplier. But, using United Utilities as an example, filling a 1,000-litre tub will cost you £3.08. It’s generally recommended that your tub is drained every 3-4 months and refilled. Although I know people who have refilled as often as once per month and others who have kept the same water in for eight months!
Filters and chemicals
You must keep the water clean to avoid any risk of picking up something nasty from your tub. To do so, you’ll need to buy filters and use chemicals (either chlorine or bromine). This is difficult to price up as it depends on how much you use your tub and how often you test it. I have seen average costs mentioned of between £300 and £400 per year. I have even seen a quote of £60 per month!
You can even buy foam reducer if you find that it becomes a bit too much when the bubbles are turned on.
For us, we have found the cost closer to £200 per year. However, our tub is only in action for eight months each year.
Floor mats
It’s best to place your hot tub spa onto foam mats instead of straight onto the ground. These are sometimes provided with your hot tub. If not, you can buy sets from Amazon.
An electrician
To be safe, your hot tub should be hard-wired into your home, or an outside plug to be fitted. This shouldn’t be a big job and will usually take a qualified electrician an hour at most. Our electrician charged just under £100, which included the wall unit.
How to save money on the running costs
Apart from not using your hot tub very often (which defeats the object), there are only three ways to save on running costs.
Change energy supplier
You should do this, even if you don’t have a hot tub. If it’s been a while since you last switched providers, there’s a good chance you’re paying far too much for your electricity. Switching is very easy and should only take a few minutes. I am currently with Octopus Energy, which also gives new customers £50 credit when they switch to them.
Solar panels
Possibly a little extreme. But if you’ve been on the fence about installing solar panels, then having these to run your hot tub will save a lot of money… as long as you do it during the day. Of course, installing them isn’t cheap.
Better insulation
Nearly all hot tubs are well insulated but will still lose heat. To help reduce this loss, you can buy extra covers. Although decent ones can set you back over £100, you should easily recoup the cost over the lifetime of your tub. However, they can be a little hard to get hold of!
This is the cover we have used for anybody interested.
Hopefully, the information above has given you a better idea of running your hot tub and a couple of ideas to save money. It’s not meant to put you off, but it’s important to know that some fairly significant costs are involved each year.
FAQs
Can I use my tub during the winter?
There’s no reason you can’t use your hot tub or lazy spa during the winter as long as you ensure that none of the pipes are allowed to freeze. But bear in mind that it will cost you a lot more to run, so you need to weigh how often you’ll use it.