Your Hot Tub, Your Wallet and You

Hot tub owners will happily tell you (see: brag) there’s nothing like settling in for a hot soak after a rough day at work, or a good day at work, or a weekend on the couch.

They also readily share that it’s an investment carrying some ongoing costs, but an investment well worth it.

When you start looking, a few tidbits of knowledge can go a long way. Get educated on how your hot tub can affect your wallet so you make the most informed decision possible for your family.

In the beginning

At the very beginning of the process, make sure you have enough room in your yard to accommodate a hot tub. We recommend at least an 8×8 foot square of space equipped to handle upwards of 5,000lbs to be safe. If you plan to put the tub on a deck, like the majority of homeowners do, you may have to reinforce the deck. This could be your first peripheral cost, but can be as affordable as a few hundred dollars.

The tub itself

The cost of a hot tub will vary but if you spring for quality your hot tub will last more than a decade. A starter tub is priced around $5,000 to start, and if you want more seats, more jets, more bells and whistles, you can climb up to $10,000 or more.

The cost will likely include everything you need to get started and you’ll be paying more for a reputable brand than an unknown, but in the hot tub industry reputable brands thrive because of build quality, not by cutting corners.

Insulation and pump

Look for a tub that has a circulation pump and high quality foam insulation. Both will result in long-term savings.

In the short run, form insulation will add a cost to your installation. But it will help your hot tub run more efficiently for longer, cutting back on your utility bills and prolonging the life of the tub by years.

The circulation pump will help keep your tub evenly warm. The whole motor won’t have to turn on and off in perpetuity, so you’ll use less energy to maintain the even, warm temperature when you’re not in the hot tub. The circulation pump runs at less than 1 horsepower, about 1/6 the power your standard engine runs. That means your cost of operation can be 5/6 less.

Monthly…

Most hot tub owners keep the temperature somewhere between 100 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (why do we measure hot tub and pool temperature in Fahrenheit in Canada? Who knows).

With your circulation pump, you’ll be able to maintain this temperature routinely. And if you use your hot tub around 6 times each week, you can expect an extra $6-$10 a week on your utility bills, or about $40 per month.  That being said, a Beachcomber Hot Tub costs on average $10 – $15 a month.

We carry hot tubs designed and manufactured by Beachcomber, in our opinion the most well-built hot tubs on the market today. Visit our showroom today to lay your eyes on the perfect hot tub to relax in this winter.