THINKING about splashing out on a hot tub this summer? You might be left sweating over how much it’s adding to your energy bills, an energy expert said.
With warmer weather around the corner, shops are stocking up on hot tubs – and some are slashing prices to cash in on demand.
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Sales of hot tubs rocketed by 1,000% during the pandemic according to figures from eBay – and this doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon.
But households might not know that the energy guzzling summer appliance could be costing you hundreds of pounds to run, Loop head of data science Steve Buckley said.
He said that while “bargain hot tubs may seem appealing”, it could cost a lot more than you expect.
Picking a cheaper model that lacks good quality insulation could cost a whopping £900 to run over the three months of summer.
To avoid a “summer energy bill shock”, Mr Buckley revealed his top tips for driving down running costs to The Sun.
Beware of cheap tubs
If you’re on a budget but still desperate to take a dip, you might be tempted to go for a cheaper model.
You can buy hot tubs for as little as £300 to £400, but these “bargain” tubs might not actually be as great value for money as you think, Mr Buckley said.
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“Cheap hot tubs may seem like a good deal, but due to poor insulation, these could easily cost five times more than a more energy efficient model amount to run,” he said.
More energy-efficient hot tubs are usually pricier because they are decked out with more insulation – which means you’ll use less energy to heat it up.
They cost £60 a month to run – which means inefficient ones will cost a whopping £300 to run a month.
Forgetting a cover
When you’ve finished having a soak, it can be easy to forget popping the cover back over your hot tub.
But that means up to 60% of the heat will disappear – meaning you’ll be using more energy than you need to when warming up the tub again.
“Cover the hot tub with a good quality thermal cover at least 10cm thick when not in use to keep the heat in,” Mr Buckley said.
“Make sure it has a good seal all around the edge – any leaks will let that precious heat out.”
Placing it in wrong area
You might not know that placing your hot tub in the wrong location in your garden could drive your bills up too.
If you’re putting it in a windy area – for example, in the middle of the lawn and not by the fence – then you’ll likely be driving up costs.
“Keeping it away from wind and breezes that will cool the water will help maintain the water temperature,” Mr Buckley said.
Monitor your bills
Households who don’t monitor their energy usage won’t have any idea about how much their hot tub is costing them until their bill arrives, Mr Buckley said.
That’s why taking regular meter readings, or looking at your smart meter, will be able to help you track whether you can actually afford to run yours.
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