Are hot tubs expensive to run? How much does it cost to run a swim spa? These are some of the common questions we get asked every day. The general perception is that a hot tub or swim spa will send your electricity bill through the roof because, with many hot tub brands, it is often the case. The actual cost of running a hot tub or swim spa depends on a multitude of factors such as global location, usage, quality of maintenance, and your energy tariff. The excessive running costs that people fear are associated with poor quality, poorly insulated products. Hydropool hot tubs and swim spa are engineered to be the most energy efficient in the world, providing 37˚C for pennies a day. Thanks to our HydroWise Thermal Shield Energy Insulation, along with our superior 4-inch HydroWise Hard Cover, we’ve mastered the art of keeping the heat in and the cold out.
Let's talk about the main problem to cause increased running costs - insulation. Every company is different, and not every hot tub is insulated the same. Hydropool uses a Double Thermal Shield reflective foil on the side of the hot tub that reflects the heat back into the unit, and a black side on the outside of the pipe is designed to absorb heat. This works alongside our Ecoheat Exchange Technology which is fully adjustable venting. Each pump in the spa creates 1.5kw of waste heat, but our Double Thermal Shield blanket reflects that heat back into the hot tub cavity. Vents maximise energy efficiency for any season and any climate. Our covers are also Made for Canadian Winters. What does this mean? Well it's four inches thick in the middle and tapers to three inches on each end, has an insulated bumper along the fold area of the cover, prevents heat loss (80% of all heat is lost through the cover), plus has Safety Locks on both sides.
Well what about the other companies, why are other forms of insulation so bad?
Hot tubs with dated or poor insulation design, or low-quality insulation will lose much of the interior heat through the four cabinet walls of the hot tub. This forces the heater and other systems to work harder to maintain the set water temperature of the hot tub – working over time, extending energy use ultimately driving down the energy efficiency of the hot tub. Take a look at these full foam thermal images to get an idea of what we mean.
Aside from heat loss, fully insulated with foam hot tubs are just a straight up pain! Hot tubs and swim spas have a vast network of plumbing. It’s only a matter of time before a gasket, seal, or fixing needs to be replaced. The easier it is to access this network, the better – without compromising the integrity of the product and making a mess of your area. If your hot tub or swim spa has a full foam cabinet, this presents messy access, resulting in digging through soggy foam until the source of the leak can be found. Not only that, but in the English rain, imagine a hot tub or swim spa sat in a puddle for too long... If you don't believe us, check out this video from The Hot Tub Channel. Ew!
And if you need more proof of the problems and hurdles it takes to get a fully foamed hot tub working again, check out this blog post about when a "free" hot tub is acquired - No Such Thing as A Free Hot Tub.
Another style of insulation is "perimeter foam". This is a method of foam insulating a hot tub that only puts foam insulation around the walls of the cabinet and floor leaving an air cavity from between cabinet wall all the way to the shell. The issues with perimeter insulation in a hot tub start with the creation of leaks due to plumbing support issues. The gaps in cabinet panels allow heat to escape. The hot tub equipment and motor needs to breathe and without vents equipment overheats and can lead to pump failure. Overall, this method has excessive heat loss and creates countless plumbing issues.
With our method of insulation, maintenance is a breeze. Our hot tub experts can find and diagnose leaks in no time, resulting in faster care. That means you can get back to relaxing sooner in your toasty warm Hydropool Hot Tub. If you want to save more money, be more energy efficient, and make the planet a little greener check out heat pump article. We have one installed on our personal Hydropool Hot Tub!