Hot Tub Energy Efficiency
Improving your return on investment
With the turn of a few knobs and a few painless steps, you can enjoy energy savings that keeps more money in your wallet. You read correctly. Painless!
1. Invest in an excellent cover
Think of what it feels like to go outside on a chilly, raw, and windy day without a hat covering your head. All the heat escapes and your ears crystallize like frozen popsicles.
The same applies to your hot tub. A high-quality cover addresses 3 core elements:
- Safety
- Savings
- Sustainability
A closed, properly attached spa cover increases safety by preventing children and pets from undesired entry. Additionally, whatever the weather, the hot tub won’t be clogged with leaves in the fall, dust and dirt in the summer, snow and slush in the winter, or mud and debris during the rainy springtime.
Sealing in the heat with a cover guarantees savings on your energy bill, while also preventing your hot tub from expending needless energy in an effort to maintain the preferred temperature.
A good thermostat stabilizes your home temperature, which extends the life of the air conditioning unit and furnace. Likewise, a quality hot tub cover sustains your hot tub. Like any other appliance, excessive demands wear it out before its time.
Your hot tub is a sleek convertible with a retractable roof. When not in use, you want a roof over what’s valuable.
2. Cleanse the filters
A filter is the hot tub’s quality control specialist, sifting out any debris or gunk that has worked its way in. Filters prevent you from having to continually refill and drain your unit, while providing the peace of mind that, when you ease yourself in for a soak, the water is clean, clear, and germ-free.
- Quick check: spray off the filter weekly to dislodge any particles
- Deep clean: once a month, soak filter for 24 hours in a combination of water and liquid filter solution
- Replace: every six months or as necessary, make the change
The most common hot tub problem—no heat—often originates with a dirty filter. If it’s clogged, the filter won’t purify the water, and the bottom of your unit could look more like a scum-filled pond rather than an inviting luxury spa.
Attention to detail makes the difference, and in this case, the details are simple. All you’re responsible for is the attention portion, the periodic cleaning.
3. Get behind the controls
Customizing your hot tub settings not only personalizes your experience but also conserves energy.
For instance, hot tubs have three temperature modes:
- Standard: pumps operate at regular intervals to maintain temperature
- Economy: spa heats during filtration times & reduces energy consumption by 20% compared to standard mode
- Sleep: a vacation setting that saves up to 50% of your energy by dropping the water temperature
Standard mode is optimal for setting temperature after an initial fill or refill and for those desiring to have the same temperature for 24 hours a day, which increases the energy output and cost.
Economy mode serves best for those who have specific times they like to hop in. Setting the filter periods by about a half hour before your normal usage times will synchronize the heating periods and temperature stability.
Sleep mode is for those who will be away for lengthy periods of time or prefer to only use their unit seasonally.
Once you establish cycles of use, it’s easy to calibrate the settings according to your preferences, certifying that when you’re not enjoying the unit, it’s conserving energy rather than consuming it.
4. Turn off the valves
Your hot tub valves (or air controls) power those reinvigorating waters when you relax inside the spa. When operational, they inject air, which will reduce water temperature if you live in a moderate climate. When not soaking, turn them off to conserve heat. For those who live in hotter climates, you may want to keep the jets on and harness the cooling effect.
Return on investment
These straightforward solutions maximize the investment in your hot tub, securing the life of the unit so you can count on its comfort. Your leisure time is important, and adhering to these simple steps amplifies your experience while keeping dollars in your wallet.
