Most energy efficient hot tub out there

[Baitandtackle]

Hi.
I am always looking for an actual answer to this question and all I ever find is paid advertising for bullfrog hot tubs.

For years I have avoided pulling the trigger because I just don't trust the info I have. Maybe you can help. (And your help might mean convincing me not to buy one at all)

We live in New England. It is cold here. My wife loves hot tubs. She wants one. We are also pretty scatterbrained people who struggle to keep the house clean and stay on top of regular maintenance. Put it this way... I managed to get the screens on our windows by mid July and I still have it on my to do list to remove them (December)! To our credit, when we want to be, we can each be quite anal. As long as the task isn't overwhelming.

Ok. You know us now.

So here it is:
We want a small (2-4person) hot tub that is easy to stay on top of maintenance. And we want the most energy efficient tub money can buy. We own a high performance house that is energy neutral via solar electricity and want to keep it in the ballgame.

1) what do you recommend?
2) what is the average cost of electricity to run per month (at say 100 to 103 degrees)?
3) I really wanted a cedar wood fired tub but have since heard that they use a ton of water because they're not made to be everyday hot tubs. Is this true? Could you buy an insulated cedar tub with an auxillary heater that keeps it warm enough not to freeze but cheap to run? (I have tons and tons of cordwood from trees downed in the yard)

Sorry. I know. I'm long winded. Just want to get the full scope for better more relevant responses.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Try not to rack your brain too much.  Go look at some different spas that are available to you, pick a dealer you like that will take care of you.  Check out on-line reviews as well.    Bullfrog, Hot springs, Sundance, Marquis and Jacuzzi will be fine throw Artesian in as well!   In no particular order.  Wet test if you can and are comfortable with it, most will drive a car before buying!  Any I mentioned will be fine power wise!

  Cash when asking for a discount speaks loudly to a dealer if you are serious!  At this point ask about year end closeouts or floor models..   Some dealers will want to move floor models. 

[Tman122]

If you want energy efficiency shoot for a super small circulation pump for heating and filtering 24/7. Like the ones the premium Hot Springs, Sundance, D1 and a few others brands use. They also use smaller jet pumps, efficient plumbing and fully foamed in cabinets.

You won't save much (a few bucks a month) over some other high quality brands. But you asked. To me comfort would be more important.

[BullFrogSpasMN]

Bullfrog, Hot Spring and Marquis will be 3 good solid brands that are very well insulated...the differences in cost per month among these brands will be very marginal so I would then find a model that fits your needs as far as comfort/jetting/budget/etc. and make sure you are buying from a reputable dealer....Good Luck!

[Baitandtackle]

Thanks for the replies.

What is a monthly hot tub bill? That's pretty critical too. We have a 3350s.f. home and it's 70degrees and comfy year round with all electric heat and our energy bill has never gone over $110 mo and averaged about $75 before we got solar. It'd be a deal breaker if we suddenly added another 50% to the bill.

[Tman122]

Thanks for the replies.

What is a monthly hot tub bill? That's pretty critical too. We have a 3350s.f. home and it's 70degrees and comfy year round with all electric heat and our energy bill has never gone over $110 mo and averaged about $75 before we got solar. It'd be a deal breaker if we suddenly added another 50% to the bill.

Depends on what the temp does there in NE. Here in Northern Minnesota a tub can easily add 40-50 bucks a month in the winter.

[Beck0101]

It's quite brisk here in mid-Michigan in winter.  My 8 person Bullfrog runs me less than $20 a month April-October +/-.  I think it peaks at about $40 per month during the coldest months.

Electric rates vary quite a lot by region so you may no get the most useful feedback to this question from folks not in your exact area.

[BullFrogSpasMN]

Thanks for the replies.

What is a monthly hot tub bill? That's pretty critical too. We have a 3350s.f. home and it's 70degrees and comfy year round with all electric heat and our energy bill has never gone over $110 mo and averaged about $75 before we got solar. It'd be a deal breaker if we suddenly added another 50% to the bill.

Ambient air temp and cost per/kwh of your local power will be determining factors....that said on average for a premium spa you should rarely exceed $40-$45 per month for an average power rate of .8 - .10 per kwh and the during the winter months ($20-$30 during other seasons)...now of course if you are in California those numbers may increase even though the ambient air temp is higher than some northern states i've heard power rates out their can go 3x - 4x national averages.

[bud16415]

We live about 30 miles south of Lake Erie in Pa and we get the combined lake effect snows with brutal artic winds coming across the lake once it is frozen. It is not at all uncommon to see sub zero and we get weeks where it gets –30’s over night. We also have wonderful summers where we used to enjoy star gazing from the tub. With your desire for energy savings you may want to think about putting your tub in a 3 season room or even a 4 season room where any lost heat from the tub would return to the house. We have friends that have tubs in temperate rooms and I think it helps.

We wanted the outdoor setting but necessity dictated we build a pergola with a tin roof over the tub for both rain and snow. We used the 4 poles of the pergola to attach easy up and down fabric panels I made to block the wind when needed or provide privacy. I have them made for different heights and quite often spring and fall we might have them about a foot higher than the tub. Just to block the wind from heads. Dec thru Feb I have full height panels and if snow is in the forecast I put them up. Nothing worse than going out to find your cover with 3’ of snow on it.

The idea of an outdoor winter tub is very glamorous but maintaining that gets old.

Our tub is a Caldera Geneva. It has a dense pack insulation that provides equal insulation to full foam. The majority of heat loss from a quality tub is when you open the cover. Our tub can sit outside and never melt any snow on or around it. So it cant be loosing too much heat.

I always tell people we spend on an average $1 per day on tub including the simplified chemicals we use for sanitizing. Summers are less as we keep the tub cooler like a warm pool during the day. Winters a bit more as you need to increase the temp when it gets colder.

People often tell me well that’s 30 bucks a month that’s quite a bit. I tell them it equals having a can of coke at work per day. A bottle of wine with dinner will heat your tub for a week etc. Hot tubs have a cost associated with them. We love our time spent in our tub and we would rather have that than something else we could spend our money on. If you asked us would you give up your tub or give up going out for dinner and a movie once a month? We would go with the tub.

As a side note once you get out of the tub you will be happy keeping the house cooler.   

[BullFrogSpasMN]

We live about 30 miles south of Lake Erie in Pa and we get the combined lake effect snows with brutal artic winds coming across the lake once it is frozen. It is not at all uncommon to see sub zero and we get weeks where it gets –30’s over night. We also have wonderful summers where we used to enjoy star gazing from the tub. With your desire for energy savings you may want to think about putting your tub in a 3 season room or even a 4 season room where any lost heat from the tub would return to the house. We have friends that have tubs in temperate rooms and I think it helps.

We wanted the outdoor setting but necessity dictated we build a pergola with a tin roof over the tub for both rain and snow. We used the 4 poles of the pergola to attach easy up and down fabric panels I made to block the wind when needed or provide privacy. I have them made for different heights and quite often spring and fall we might have them about a foot higher than the tub. Just to block the wind from heads. Dec thru Feb I have full height panels and if snow is in the forecast I put them up. Nothing worse than going out to find your cover with 3’ of snow on it.

The idea of an outdoor winter tub is very glamorous but maintaining that gets old.

Our tub is a Caldera Geneva. It has a dense pack insulation that provides equal insulation to full foam. The majority of heat loss from a quality tub is when you open the cover. Our tub can sit outside and never melt any snow on or around it. So it cant be loosing too much heat.

I always tell people we spend on an average $1 per day on tub including the simplified chemicals we use for sanitizing. Summers are less as we keep the tub cooler like a warm pool during the day. Winters a bit more as you need to increase the temp when it gets colder.

People often tell me well that’s 30 bucks a month that’s quite a bit. I tell them it equals having a can of coke at work per day. A bottle of wine with dinner will heat your tub for a week etc. Hot tubs have a cost associated with them. We love our time spent in our tub and we would rather have that than something else we could spend our money on. If you asked us would you give up your tub or give up going out for dinner and a movie once a month? We would go with the tub.

As a side note once you get out of the tub you will be happy keeping the house cooler.

Very good points! $30 quite a bit? I watched a guy order 2 cups of iced coffee at Starbucks for $13.00 this morning lol

[bud16415]

Very good points! $30 quite a bit? I watched a guy order 2 cups of iced coffee at Starbucks for $13.00 this morning lol

Yep I once had a old guy come up to me when I was filling my truck that I use all the time for hauling things and plowing snow and he was spouting off about how I had to be crazy spending money on gas like that. I let him go on a while and then saw he had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. So I commented wow you are a smoker are cigarettes still about a buck a pack. He said are you crazy try 8 bucks. I said OMG does a pack last a couple weeks? And he said you are nuts try 2 packs a day. I told him wow that’s over a $100 a week. I don’t spend that on gas. He got really mad telling me I was crazy and stormed off.

Everything in life is a compromise that’s for sure. Look at how much people spend on cell phones or cable TV and don’t think twice about it.     

[BullFrogSpasMN]

Very good points! $30 quite a bit? I watched a guy order 2 cups of iced coffee at Starbucks for $13.00 this morning lol

Yep I once had a old guy come up to me when I was filling my truck that I use all the time for hauling things and plowing snow and he was spouting off about how I had to be crazy spending money on gas like that. I let him go on a while and then saw he had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. So I commented wow you are a smoker are cigarettes still about a buck a pack. He said are you crazy try 8 bucks. I said OMG does a pack last a couple weeks? And he said you are nuts try 2 packs a day. I told him wow that’s over a $100 a week. I don’t spend that on gas. He got really mad telling me I was crazy and stormed off.

Everything in life is a compromise that’s for sure. Look at how much people spend on cell phones or cable TV and don’t think twice about it.   

very true, I have to nicely remind people of that on the sales floor daily....In one sentence they are telling me how expensive hot tubs are these days, and in the next they are telling me about how their family of 5 just got back from Disney World, how much did that trip cost? ohhh about 6k but a hot tub that you could own for 12-15 years for 8k is "overpriced"? huh interesting lol

[Spatech_tuo]

I'm going to spread the word: stop drinking coke & wine, stop smoking cigarettes and by all means buy a hot tub!

[bud16415]

I'm going to spread the word: stop drinking coke & wine, stop smoking cigarettes and by all means buy a hot tub!

The world will be a better place except for maybe the wine.

While you are at it point out to people for the price of one scratch loto ticket a day you can maintain a hot tub.