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Hot tubs were a popular luxury purchase during the lockdowns in 2020.
As things started to open up again, many buyers started to regret the purchase, and now with electricity prices increasing exponentially, they are becoming increasingly difficult to justify running.
I don’t own a hot tub, so I was blissfully unaware of the potential running costs of them. It never crossed my mind that it was the norm to leave them running 24/7 at a base temperature.
With electricity prices jumping by 80% in October, this means that running a hot tub could be far too expensive for many normal people.
October Energy Price Cap
| Last price cap period(1 April – 30 September 2022) | Current price cap period(1 October – 31 December 2022) | |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | £0.28 per kWhDaily standing charge: £0.45 | £0.52 per kWhDaily standing charge: £0.46 |
| Gas | £0.07 per kWhDaily standing charge: £0.27 | £0.15 per kWhDaily standing charge: £0.28 |
The price cap is confusing and vague, with it being stated as the average annual cost for dual fuel customers.
Ofgem has announced the energy price cap will increase to £3,549 per year for dual fuel for an average household from 1 October 2022. Up from £1,971.
That is a bit of a meaningless number if you have non-typical usage. It doesn’t even give an accurate reflection of how much electricity increases in price vs gas.
Part of the problem is that it is up to the supplier to set the price of the standard charge and the kWh. Theoretically, you could have all your bill as a standing charge or all the bill as usage, but in reality, this gets split.
Ofgem have provided an example price increase, but in general, you will be best looking at your current cost per month and increasing that by 80%
In the Ofgem example, the standing charge for electricity only increases by 1p, which represents a 2.2% increase. The kWh price for electricity jumps up 85.7%; then gas prices increase 114%!!
How much does it cost to run a hot tub using October rates?
Providing an exact price of running a hot tub is difficult. It depends on the size of the tub, its physical characteristics of it, the ambient temperature outside, how often you use it and what your desired temperature is.
My prices mainly focus on electricity costs. You would also need to factor in the chemicals required to keep the water sanitised and the maintenance costs. A hot tub that is run all year will use roughly £200-£350 in chemicals.
Some example prices from hot tub suppliers are about £63 per month on the current standard variable rate (28 p/kWh. This is with an ambient temperature of 9 degrees average and with the hot tub set at 39°C and used six times per week for 30 mins. This price will increase to £117 in October (and higher as the ambient temperature drops).
Reddit Examples
It is also worth looking at real-world examples, so I scoured Reddit for some examples.
For reference, back in 2021, I was paying 13.6476 p/kWh, and my current fixed price is 18.36p/kWh.
Two years ago, this Reddit user stated that it was £40 per month to run their hot tub. Assuming they were paying around 14 p/kWh then the price will increase 3.7 times to £148.
This Reddit user has a fancy Platinum Spas Kenya Hot Tub and uses it daily, which is likely much higher than the average usage. They state it costs £150 per month to run (4-months ago). Assuming they are paying the current standard variable rate of £0.28 per kWh then this will increase to around £278 per month.
Four months ago, this Reddit user stated that it’s about £5-8 to heat from a standing start to 38C, and then about £2-3/day to maintain it at temperature. Let us say £60 pcm to run, which will then increase to £111.
This user, who has a 4-6 person Lazy Spa states it is £90 per month to run, and they have a thermal cover to improve insulation, which cost about £100 to buy. This would increase to £166 in October.
This user provided an example of winter running costs, stating that 2 years ago, their direct debit jumped from £150pcm to £330pcm, implying £180 pcm to run. Assuming the 14 p/kWh price I was paying back then, that would mean £669 per month to run in winter!
Lazy Spa / Lay-Z-Spa Inflatable Hot Tubs
Lay-Z-Spa Inflatable Hot Tubs were also incredibly popular during lockdown. They are significantly cheaper to buy than a proper hot tub, so it is completely understandable why people wanted to buy these. They are also a good way to gauge how much you will enjoy a hot tub before spending thousands on a proper one.
The problem with them is that the insulation is very poor, and the reality is that they will most likely be far too expensive to run. Some of the above examples I have provided above don’t seem to be that much more expensive than the normal hot tubs.
I assume one of the benefits of these is that you can deflate them and store them away. Until electricity prices reduce, this is likely to be your best option.
Alternatively, people on Reddit have suggested improving the insulation. This can include insulating the floor it sits on with foam mats and even building a frame around it, then insulating between the frame and tub.
Of course, if you only use the Lay-Z-Spa once in a while, then it emptying it/refilling it and heating it from cold won’t have a massive impact, just the one-off costs to heat it up.
How to reduce the cost of running a hot tub?
- The main thing you need to do is make sure the hot tub is insulated as possible.
- You should always have some sort of insulated lid which will massively reduce the cost of electricity.
- Investing in a good quality hot tub with a good heating system will typically reduce the running costs considerably but have much higher upfront costs.
- For inflatable hot tubs, make sure you place them on an insulated base. If possible, build an insulated frame around it.
- Place the hot tub in a sheltered position that won’t be exposed to the wind.
- There are some solar heating products that you can use to boost the heating performance and minimise electricity costs. They don’t appear to be the most attractive solution, but they should help a bit
- If you haven’t bought a hot tub yet, then invest in one that is small enough for your needs and no bigger.
Last update on 2022-08-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
