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Author Topic: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .  (Read 5143 times)

Ryan VSO

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Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« on: January 02, 2014, 02:40:58 pm »
I dont know if I can actually post the link of this report but I think even if its not up to date that every custumer should read before making their purchase .


Let me know what you guys think about this .

http://www.energyideas.org/documents/factsheets/EEF_Spas_HotTubs_Sept08.pdf

There were approximately 3.4 million portable spas1
in the U.S. in 2000 according to the National Spa
and Pool Institute. These spas consume an average of
2,514 kWh per year, making the average cost of heating
the spa more than $250 a year (at 10 cents/kWh).
According to a spa study by the Davis Energy Group,2
if you own a spa, it is the biggest electrical consumer
in the house.

How Spas and
Hot Tubs Use Energy
To understand how to reduce operating costs, it’s
a good idea to know how spas and hot tubs use
energy. They typically use electric energy to heat
and continuously circulate the water, and a very
small amount of electricity for lighting. Over 95%
of the time tubs are covered and unused, yet this is
when 75% of their energy
use occurs. Thus, energy
conservation starts with a
good look at this “steady
state” mode and at reducing
heat losses from the cover
and walls. While most of
the energy used in spas goes
into the heater, the energy
used for pumping is also
significant.
When the cover is removed
and the tub is being used,
heat losses increase six-fold
or more. If the jets are
activated and a couple of people get into the tub,
evaporative heat losses from the surface increase even
further, and pumps for the high-speed jets use many
times the energy of circulating pumps. If an air pump
or bubbler is activated, heat losses increase beyond
the capacity of most heaters and water temperatures
begin to drop.

The circulator pump(s) move water through a filter
and heater continuously during steady-state operation.
Some tubs employ a two-speed motor, with the
same pump used for low-speed circulation in steadystate
mode and for high-speed operation when using
the jets. These pumps are not usually very efficient
in any mode – but particularly in steady-state mode because the motor is very lightly loaded and running
at low efficiency most of the time. Since these are
air-cooled motors, getting rid of the waste heat from
the motor in the summer is a problem too.
Some manufacturers use separate pumps for circulation
and jets. While initial costs are slightly higher,
this helps optimize the circulation pump and can
yield good savings during steady-state operation.

A few studies have looked at the potential for
reducing spa energy use.5, 2 In the Davis study the
long-term savings of several efficiency measures were
estimated:
• Improvements in spa covers were estimated
to save 10%, or about 250 kWh
annually - the same amount of energy as
improvements to tub insulation.
• More efficient pumping systems will save
even more – 15%, or about 375 kWh/yr.
• Improved controls can save an estimated
5%, or 125 kWh/year.
If you are paying .085/kWh for electricity, you can
save $21/year with spa covers, another $21/year with
tub insulation, $32/year with improved pumping
systems, and about $11/year with improved controls.
Other than replacing the cover, these improvements
in efficiency will only be available at the time of

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Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« on: January 02, 2014, 02:40:58 pm »

Tman122

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2014, 06:40:19 pm »
The flaws in the ARC study have already been pointed out long ago.

FYI VSC The ARC study was funded by Arctic Spas/Blue Falls and they supplied a 1" thicker cover than all the other manufacturers. And still lost to HS.
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Ryan VSO

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2014, 06:47:19 pm »
it says managed by washington state university with support of northwest energy efficiency alliance . Are you talking about comparasion chat or the whole article ?

Tman122

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2014, 10:23:44 pm »
it says managed by washington state university with support of northwest energy efficiency alliance . Are you talking about comparasion chat or the whole article ?

This particular article was managed by those two sources but it references the ARC study. Kinda makes the entire article bunk to me. I mean there's good common sense stuff in it but..........
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Ryan VSO

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2014, 10:30:54 pm »
For new custumer , I found it usefool

Dr. Spa™ Ret.

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2014, 10:33:27 pm »
Who it was MANAGED by is different than who FUNDED it.

If I PAY you to do a study, you would "manage" it, and I would fund it. It's quite likely you would be biased towards me ;-)
If you can't sell it on eBay, it may not even qualify as landfill.

Retired (mostly) from the industry after 33 years...but still putzing around with a consumer information website, and trying to sell obsolete owners manuals

Ryan VSO

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2014, 10:42:15 pm »
yeah but the statement made in this article is true ( better cover , circ pump , insulation etc ) it still better than the BS some sales person say to custumers.

Tman122

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2014, 06:47:17 am »
yeah but the statement made in this article is true ( better cover , circ pump , insulation etc ) it still better than the BS some sales person say to custumers.

LOL...... Yea you should learn from it. Your web site is full of sales BS
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rosewoodsteel

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2014, 08:59:44 am »
The California study that I read was almost word for word with Vortex's post.  And, I agree, there is some good information to be found there. (Too bad the California tax payers have to fund it..)  I am hopeful that Consumer Reports reviews hot tubs in the future. 

Ryan VSO

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2014, 04:19:48 pm »
yeah well no one will fund it unless it has an interest for it so if the research lead to show that a thick cover , a circulation pump and a good thermal insulation will make you save money wich represent basicly what Artic is doing then thats probably why they have funded it .

From our own test that we have made in a real environement , the saving from the thermal insulation of artic show at a temperature below -7 degrees celcius , I would like to find a report with an ambient -10 degrees to see the result .

Tman122

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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #10 on: January 03, 2014, 10:26:38 pm »
Any non independent study will be suspect. And rightly so.
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Re: Any Custumer Concerned about hot tub energy efficiency .
« Reply #10 on: January 03, 2014, 10:26:38 pm »

 

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