What is the true cost of a hot tub? maintenance + electricity

The inflatable spa has become a must-have, offering a relaxing escape at home. However, well-being and luxury come at a cost, and the increasing electricity rates make it a purchase that represents a monthly budget. It is essential to understand the true cost associated with owning an inflatable spa to allow you to make an informed decision. In this article, we will highlight the real cost of an inflatable spa, carefully analyzing the expenses related to its maintenance and electricity consumption.

Don’t have time to read the article in full? The monthly cost of a Coco spa (electricity, consumables, water) for intensive use (more than 100 baths per year, even in winter) in all seasons is 28 euros/month. For a more ‘standard’ usage, roughly divide this figure by 2.

Please note, these calculations are based on the assumption of intensive spa usage, with the motor running, filtering, and heating daily. For more typical usage, it would be advisable to divide these values by at least 2

Maintenance costs:

The maintenance of an inflatable spa is a crucial component to ensure its proper functioning, extend its lifespan, and guarantee safe usage.

The filters clean your water from impurities and should be cleaned every 1-2 weeks and replaced every 3 months. A filter costs between 5 and 10 Euros, so you will need to budget around 20 euros annually for filters for intensive use of your spa.

Annual cost of filters: 20 euros

Water treatment

Chemicals such as chlorine or bromine are necessary to maintain clean and healthy water. These costs can vary depending on usage frequency, spa size, and the quality of your region’s water.

Generally, you will need to plan for between 2 and 3 MG/L of water, equivalent to 1 tablet. Spa water is warmer than pool water, leading to increased development of microorganisms and bacteria. It must be treated with caution and requires a higher dosage.

1 kg of slow-release chlorine is quite affordable and costs an average of 15 euros, an amount that will last you the year.

Annual cost of chlorine: 15 euros

 

Water

There is obviously no spa without water, and the initial cost to fill your spa is around 4 to 5 euros depending on your region (the price per cubic meter varies).

The water volume of a Coco Spa is slightly over 1 cubic meter (a Coco Spa holds 1200 liters). However, it is recommended to change your water relatively frequently: every month if you use it very regularly and every 3 months for standard usage.

Water rate per cubic meter: 3 to 5 euros per cubic meter depending on your region.

Volume of a Coco Spa: 1.2 cubic meters.

Annual drainage frequency: 4 + 1 (evaporation).

 

Cost in water 20 euros

 

Electricity consumption:

 

Another crucial aspect to consider is the electrical consumption of the spa, especially regarding heating and filtration. With a heating capacity of 2200 kW in heating mode (45w in filtration mode), the motor of the Coco Spa consumes electricity to operate, and it is important to calculate the energy consumption based on usage frequency and ambient temperature.

For this part, we will consider an electricity cost of 0.2 euros per KW/h. A 1000w motor consumes 1 KW/h in 1 hour.

Filtration Mode:

Filtration, although less energy-intensive, also contributes to the total consumption. With a filtration capacity of 45 kW, the filtration frequency and daily usage duration will impact electricity consumption.

On average, a spa should be filtered for 4 to 6 hours per day.

With a power of 45w, our motor consumes 0.045 x 0.2 euros per hour, which is 0.009 cents per hour of filtration.

Based on this data and a filtration of 5 hours, we have a daily cost of 0.045 euros, a weekly cost of 0.045 x 7 = 0.31 euros, and an annual cost of 114.9 euros for filtration 365 days a year.

 

Heating Mode:

Unless you want to keep the water between 25 and 32 degrees in the summer, in which case you won’t need to heat your spa, if you want to increase the temperature further or use your spa throughout the year, you’ll need to use the heating function of the motor.

The outside temperature and the spa’s exposure will be crucial to minimizing the heating costs of your spa.

Climate is another significant cost factor. If you live in an area with mild winters, it will cost you much less to keep your spa warm throughout the season. However, in northern climates, your heating unit will be working extra hours.

 

Here is the theoretical average annual electrical consumption for normal spa use

For a spa with:

Volume: 1200 liters Filtration: 5 hours per day Filtration power: 45 watts Regardless of the season

We will assume that this filtration duration remains stable regardless of the month, but the heating and filtration do not add up (when the heating is on, the filtration “expense” stops because the heating includes an integrated filtration mode).

Heating: 2200 watts

Heating varies depending on the season. Obviously, more heating is required in winter than in summer.

We will assume an average outdoor temperature of 12 degrees Celsius during the months of December, January, and February. We will assume an average outdoor temperature of 17 degrees Celsius during the months of March, April, October, and November. We will assume an average outdoor temperature of 23 degrees Celsius during the months of May, June, July, August, and September.

We will assume a spa temperature target of 38 degrees Celsius.

Daily heating hours needed to keep the pool constantly at 38 degrees:

Winter: 7 hours/day

Spring and autumn: 5 hours/day

Summer: 3 hours/day

Assuming very frequent use, 2 days per week throughout the year, totaling over 100 baths for this example.

Electricity price during peak hours: €0.20 / kWh

month use	consommation	cost
January	132 kwh	26.4€
Febuary	132kwh	26.4€
March	132 kwh	26.4€
April	94 kwh	18,8€
May	94 kwh	18,8€
June	56,5kwh	11.3€
July	56,5kwh	11.3€
August	56,5kwh	11.3€
September	56,5kwh	11.3€
October	94 kwh	18,8€
November	94 kwh	18,8€
December	462 kwh	26.4€
Total	1130kwh	226€

 

 

So, we arrive at an electricity cost of 226 euros.

Please note, this figure is based on a very frequent use of the spa with more than 100 baths per year, throughout all seasons.

 

Summary Calculation of the final cost of a spa per year:

 

Water: 20 euros

Consumables (filters and chlorine): 35 euros

Electricity (heating): 228 euros

Electricity (filtration): 50 euros (the filter operates in heating mode, hence the limited filtration hours)

 

Total cost of intensive year-round use: 333 euros

Monthly cost: 27.75 euros