Shutting Down the Hot Tub for the Winter

Should you turn your Edmonton hot tub off during the winter months, if you’re worried costs will be too high? More energy is needed to heat a hot tub in cold temperatures (and to retain that heat), and deciding what to do with your hot tub requires answering a few questions.

Do you keep your hot tub running or turn it on only when you want to use it?

If you usually turn the heating on your hot tub on only when preparing it for use, you will find that the winter will provide you with different results than the summer. First, it will take longer to heat the water, since you’re starting at a lower temperature and trying to get it up to about 40 degrees. You may have to turn on the heating in the morning to have it ready for the evening, and the water will not stay heated for as long. If you are paying 15 cents for each kWh you use to heat your hot tub, and it takes 75 kWh for one evening’s worth of heating (though this will vary depending on the size and other aspects of your hot tub), you will pay $11.25 each time you enjoy your hot tub.

Keeping the hot tub heated continuously can make sense, depending on how often you intend to use the hot tub–which brings us to our next question.

How often will you use the hot tub in the winter?

In the summer, you may not use your hot tub very often when it is already hot outside (though a hot tub can be perfect for use on a cool summer evening). In the winter, however, things may change.

If you don’t see yourself using your hot tub a lot in the coming months, maybe because you’re more one for cold winter activities or you plan to spend the time in a warmer location altogether, you may find it is best to keep it off except for on the days you plan to use it. There is one thing you can do to lower the energy costs, though.

Do you have a great hot tub cover?

Hot tubs retain their heat through the tub and the cover, and it will likely lose most of its heat through the cover since it is less insulating. Your average, run-of-the-mill cover may not do enough to help you in the winter months. A good quality cover can be used to decrease how often you need to reheat your tub, and it will last for a while so it can pay itself off in savings.