How Much Should My Spa Running Costs Be?Updated a year ago
There are a number of variables that will affect your spa's running cost. These include set temperature, how often you are running the bubbler, if are you keeping the spa covered and using the inflatable bladder when not in use, if you have a heat preservation mat underneath the spa and depending on the model, if you have a 1.5 kW or 2.2 kW heater.
On average, our customers report that our 6 man spa range costs roughly $5.00 per day to run in winter and our 8 person range is closer to $7.00 per day. These costs do not include the Oslo model which has an additional jet pump.
Your first month of spa operation will have the highest energy cost and is not indicative of months to follow. This is because the spa initially has to heat the ambient water temperature to the set temperature. For instance, if you buy your spa in winter and fill it, let's say the water temperature is 10C. You set your desired temperature at 40C, therefore the spa has to heat the water 30 degrees. Depending on your spa model and if you have a 1.5 kW or 2.2 kW heater, the spa heater will raise the temperature of the water 1 to 2 degrees per hour. This means if you have a 1.5 kW heater, the heater will need to continuously run approximately 30 hours to achieve set temperature. Once set temperature is achieved, the heater will only need to raise the temperature 2 to 3 degrees on average to maintain the desired temp after use (although it could be slightly more with consistent use of the bubbler function, especially in colder months). The bubbler draws in ambient outside air into the spa, so use of this function will ultimately lower the temperature of the spa water.
You can use the timer option to keep the heater from engaging at times you set. Keep in mind that the water temperature of the spa will slowly drop with the heater not activated and depending on the amount of the drop, it may take more energy to heat the water back up to set temperature vs the heater maintaining a set temperature. Our customers have generally found that leaving the spa running to a set temperature is the most economical and energy efficient.
Also please note that the spa filter pump will run continuously with a set temperature. This is nothing to be concerned about and is not unlike many acrylic spas which have 24 hour circulation pumps. Our spa range filter pumps are only 12 volts and 25 watts so energy draw/cost is minimal.
For example, if we multiply 25 watts x 24 hours, we get 600 watts. This is .6 kW. The average electrical cost per kW in New Zealand is currently 20.9 cents, so for demonstration purposes we'll say 21 cents. Therefore, if we multiply .21 (21 cents) x .6 kW (600 watts), we get .126. This is approximately 13 cents per day, $3.78 per month (.6 kW x 30 days = 18 x .21 cents) or $45.36 per year ($3.78 x 12 months).