How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hot Tub?

One of the best ways to sit back, enjoy life, and relax those aching muscles or enjoy a romantic experience under the stars is to spend time in your own inflatable hot tub.

With the many advantages of owning a hot tube and all the enjoyment and relaxation they give, maybe you have now decided that you would like to purchase your very own new hot tub for your backyard.

You have done your research on spa options that best for your needs and found the jacuzzi prices that fit your budget. But, you – like many others – may now be wondering what are the costs of running a hot tub?

The great thing is that as long as you plan for these costs, you will find that owning a spa is actually very affordable and doesn’t break the bank, even if you splurge on hot tub accessories to maximize your spa experience.

Different Types of One-Off Upfront Costs

Before the operating expense, such as energy costs and the effect on the water bill of the spa itself, you’ll want to take into account the different types of one-off upfront expenses involved too.

In addition to the initial investment of your new portable hot tub, there are other factors that will need to be thought about. The one-off expenses that you need to take into consideration, such as the installation costs, which unless you already have a space that does not need any preparation, can add up.

Preparation of the Site

As with any type of pool, they will need a robust foundation. Normally a sturdy deck or concrete slabbing is ideal. This, of course, will not cost you any extra if you already have your ideal spot ready and waiting for your hot tub and you are up and running as soon as the water temperature is correct, with any chemicals that are required, just follow the hot tub handbook for this.

However, if you don’t, then you should have an estimate of the money you have to spend on decking or alternative ideas. One major advantage is, that if you do have to build your own area for the hot tub, you can take the care to design it especially for you and your needs, building an excellent area for entertaining guests so don’t just think of the unit itself, think of yourself and try to ensure that is exactly where and what you want.

After all, they are not just designed for one person and you may find you suddenly have a lot of friends and family come calling, it is all part of the fun.

Electricity Connections

While it depends on your own home’s electricity setup, the installation of the connections necessary can vary greatly, so ensure you get an idea of costs it might entail if you do not have a supply ready for use. 

You may also be required to have a GFCI or ground-fault circuit interrupter installed. This will automatically switch your electricity off when there’s a ground fault. You should hire a fully licensed electrician to carry out the work.

Inflatable Hot Tub Running Costs

One-off upfront costs aside, you’ll also want to know about the cost to run hot tub at home. These include monthly heating bills to repair and maintenance costs to ensure your jacuzzi is working properly and ready for you to enjoy whenever you fancy.

1. Monthly Heating Costs

There is no one answer that can be applied to all cases, as this depends on how hot a hot tub should be and your personal preference for what temperature you require. The energy costs will depend on various factors so there is no way of precisely saying what a hot tub costs per month is, some of these variants include:

• How often you use it
• The temperature Levels
• The unit price per kWh
• Weather temperatures in your area and season changes
• Size of your Model
• If you are using one of the hot tubs covers

Many have found that the hot tub operating cost can be very little, with more advanced hot tubs and larger models operating costs being more. Do your research and look for an energy-efficient hot tub if you are concerned about the hot tub power consumption kwh and the effect it will have on your electricity bill.

Energy-efficient hot tubs filter the water but use low-amperage filtration pumps. So check out what the filtration rate is on the spa you are going to purchase or already have and this will increase your energy saving.

So when asking that all-important question of How Much Electricity does a hot tub use? there are unfortunately just too many variants for us to be able to inform you exactly. Yes, there are nightmare stories out there, but, do your research, check the specs of the hot tub model you have, or are going to get and this can be avoided.

If you plan to heat it all the time or if you have a spell of cold weather are both factors that will increase the hot tubs electrical cost, so as you can tell, there is no average cost of hot tub running cost.

When placing the spa put a thermal or insulation layer underneath it, maybe adjust the heat and lower it by 1 or 2 degrees doing these two things will save on energy. If your model has a circuit timer thermostat you can program this to only heat it in off-peak hours especially if that is when you enjoy your soak.

Hot tub covers help prevent heat loss so ensure you use a cover or lid when not in use if you have one, these also keep the debris out so you don’t need to spend your life taking care of the hot tub and cleaning out the leaves, etc.

2. Chemicals and Water

When you are thinking of owning a hot tub you have done your hot tub pricing and now know the hot tubs price. Now you will need to think about the cleanliness and safety of the water, one job that you must do a couple of times a week, depending on how often the spa is used, check the water for the required chemicals.

Chlorine or bromine for sanitizing and balancing the water are a couple to think of. Aside from the chemicals themselves, you might need to invest in a chemical dispenser too, but this accessory won’t break the bank.

The cost will vary, and there are starter packs for the initial set up of hot tubs with easy to follow instructions, and although we are not talking a lot, everything should be budgeted for when working out how much is a hot tub running cost.

Alongside the normal of the mill chemicals, you will also require some accessories to help with cleaning and general maintenance of your unit i.e. spa or hot tub vacuum to allow you to clear dirt and debris off the bottom. It is good practice to check the heater and filtration system along with the air jets as all this will increase the longevity of your spa and avoid you losing the manufacturer’s warranty.

Now we come to the cost of the water and the best way to calculate the water cost of your hot tub is by multiplying its capacity by how often you are going to empty and refill it over the course of a year, unfortunately, you will only know this once you have been up and running for a while. We think with average usage this will be 2 or 3 times a year.

Divide the total from that calculation by 12 to work out the amount of water you are going to use a month, then multiply this number by the cost for a gallon.

So, as an example, if you had a tub with a capacity of 500-gallons cleaned four times over the course of a year, and water cost 0.2cents a gallon, this would not add any more than 35 cents to your monthly bills.

3. Repairs and Maintenance

When you purchase a hot tub unit you need to consider that the filters have to be replaced at least every one to two years. Some tubs rely on numerous filters, whereas others use one. Again the prices vary, but it is worth finding out which your model uses and cost them. Just make sure you clean them when you empty and refill your tub to avoid having to replace earlier than is necessary.

With a well-organized and planned out a budget for your inflatable hot tub electric bill, and the other costs we have covered, you will be able to enjoy the benefits and experience of owning a hot tub without stressing out over the question of How Much Does It Cost To Run a Hot Tub?.

There are plenty of tips for you if you have some great DIY hot tub ideas of your own.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hot Tub Costs

We hope we have covered everything and although we cannot tell you exactly how much a spa will affect your energy bill we hope we have given you some idea along with some helpful tips on how to save on energy consumption.

Below we have answered some questions that some new spa owners often ask us, we hope it helps you further.