The idea of having a hot tub sounds great, right? But a common question that comes up is “how much do hot tubs cost to run?”. It’s a common misconception that hot tubs cost a ridiculous amount to run and maintain, but you’ll be glad to know that that’s not quite true.
While owning a hot tub will increase your bills, it’s not by as much as you might think.
The costs involved with running a hot tub can be massively varied, as we’ll dive into more detail throughout the article. However, here is a rough estimate of what you can expect to be paying on a yearly basis.
Energy: £400 – £500 per year
Servicing: £200 – £500 per year
Water care: £250 – £300 per year
This means a rough annual cost of running your hot tub is around £850 – £1300 per year. Or around £70 – £108 per month.
Unfortunately, answering the question of how much a hot tub costs to run isn’t as simple as providing a number, there are a lot of variables to be considered. These variables include things like the size and model of your hot tub, how often you use it, and the outside temperature of where your hot tub is kept.
However, generally speaking, the costs involved with running a hot tub can be split into 3 categories – how much energy a hot tub uses, water costs and cleaning & servicing costs.
Energy usage makes up the biggest portion of costs when it comes to hot tubs. This makes sense considering the heater needs to keep the water warm constantly, and then when things like lights and air jets are in use the amount of power used will obviously rise.
Your current energy tariff will also play a big part in how much you can expect to pay in energy costs for your hot tub. If you know you’re on a more expensive tariff, looking to switch to a cheaper tariff could help reduce your hot tub’s running costs.
Another thing to note here is the quality of your hot tub. Lower quality hot tubs will be much cheaper to buy, however the amount and quality of the internal insulation may suffer for it. This means the hot tub will release more heat into the air, instead of retaining it in the water and tub. What might have saved you a good chunk of change initially, may come back to bite you in the long term through much higher energy costs.
Higher quality hot tubs will have multiple layers of insulation that helps to minimise heat loss. At Platinum Spas, we use our Platinum Premium Shield insulation, created by our innovation team.
A rough estimate of a hot tub’s electricity costs currently range from £2 – £3 per day. Which is cheaper than buying a drink from your favourite coffee shop.
Surprisingly, the water costs aren’t as big a factor as you might think. Typically, you’ll pay a larger upfront cost for filling your hot tub, but after that the cost dramatically decreases since you might only have to top it up occasionally.
Obviously, when you perform a full drain, you will need to fill it with water and heat it again, which temporarily increases the monthly cost of running your hot tub. It is recommended that you fully empty your hot tub 3–4 times a year. This is so the water can be changed and the hot tub cleaned. This not only keeps the water clean and safe for you, but also helps to prolong the life of the hot tub’s mechanisms.
Regular maintenance and servicing of your hot tub is the best way to not only keep your hot tub in good condition, but also prevents you from having to perform additional, unnecessary drains. If you would like more information on cleaning and maintaining your hot tub, see our support page.
A hot tub needs regular maintenance to keep it running in top shape, and to keep the water safe for you to use. There are a few basic elements that go into maintaining and balancing your hot tub’s water. You can find more information in our hot tub chemical guide.
Hot tubs need treating with sanitisers regularly to prevent bacteria growth and to keep the water clean.
Chlorine is the most popular choice due to it being the most cost-effective option as well as fast acting. One of the most common methods of using chlorine is in the form of chlorine tablets.
Testing the water’s sanitiser levels regularly will tell you how much chlorine you will need to use, and how often. A rough estimate of how many chlorine tablets to use is around 3–4 tablets a week. Make sure to always test the water before adding any chemicals.
pH adjusters are used to keep your hot tub water at a neutral level, which on the pH scale is a 7. Ideally, you should keep your hot tub pH between 7.2 – 7.4. Anything above (an alkaline) or below (an acid) can start to cause issues.
Issues that can develop because of this are:
After measuring the water’s pH level, you can add the right adjuster to either raise or lower the pH level. This should be done about once a week.
Your water care products, assuming you follow a recommended cleaning schedule, will roughly cost between £250 – £350 a year.
It’s recommended that you have your hot tub serviced by a professional once a year. This will help to identify any issues your hot tub may have, such as needing a replacement filter. Doing this, while a little costly, will massively reduce the chance of a major fault occurring and will prolong the life of your hot tub.
Typically, a one-off hot tub service might set you back upwards of £200. Alternatively, you can find service plans with a monthly cost of £30-£50. The more expensive service plans may include regular full drains of your hot tub, so if you’d rather not do it yourself, this might be the option for you.
Surprisingly, the costs of running a hot tub aren’t as much as most people think. The main 3 costs involved in running a hot tub are electricity, servicing and water care, which will roughly set you back between £850 – £1300 per year. Typically getting a higher quality, and therefore more expensive hot tub, will actually save you money on running costs in the long run.
If you’re thinking about getting a hot tub, be sure to get in touch. Our team of experts can go through which hot tubs best suit your situation and budget, so that you can find the perfect hot tub for you to relax in.
Generally speaking, your average hot tub will use between 3.5 and 6 kWh of electricity per day. However, there are many factors that can reduce or increase this such as the outside temperature, the level of insulation your hot tub has, and how much you use it.
The short answer is yes. Once your hot tub has reached your desired temperature, you will actually save money and energy by keeping the temperature there. This is because the cost of heating up your water is significantly more expensive than the cost of maintaining the temperature. The cost of maintaining this temperature will be even cheaper on hot tubs with high-quality internal insulation and a quality cover that provides a good seal when the hot tub is not in use.
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