Breaking the Myth on Energy Consumption
By Debra Wood
Although few people dispute the pleasurable massaging powers of a hot tub, some consumers worry about its operating costs.
But fear not: portable hot tubs use less electricity than one might expect, and they have minimal effect on residential energy consumption.
Consumers can save even more by upgrading to a newer, more efficient hot tub and by applying a few energy conservation tips.
Concerned about energy-use perceptions, industry experts and some manufacturers have hired independent laboratories to investigate hot tub energy consumption.
Recently, a West Coast power crisis prompted the APSP (Association of Pool & Spa Professionals) to hire the management consulting firm of Arthur D. Little, Boston, MA, to study the effect of self-contained electrical spas on residential energy use. Little found that portable hot tubs account for less than 1 percent of the energy consumed in residential homes, and they contribute less than 0.3 percent to peak energy demand. The researchers based their calculations on the spa owner using the hot tub 16.4 times monthly for 20 minutes.
According to the study, at 10 cents per kilowatt, a typical portable hot tub costs about $22 per month to operate. At seven cents per kilowatt, the national average, this drops to $15 monthly, which means that a water heater or a color television set costs more to operate than a hot tub.
The Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program estimates that an average-sized, energy-efficient hot tub consumes five to seven kilowatts daily. An older, poorly insulated spa could use up to 18 kilowatts per day. The amount of money this equates to will vary since electricity costs differ regionally. In addition, climactic disparities affect how long the hot tub heater must run to maintain the optimal temperature.