Hot tubs have a key thing in common, the heating of water up to a set temperature and maintaining this temperature with a flow-through heater. A spa heater consumes the most electricity of all the items on a hot tub, and is comparable to a kettle in electricity consumption. Therefore, in order to keep costs down, we must focus on conserving as much heat as possible.
Hot Tub Covers
We repeat this time and time again, a good condition hot tub cover is vital to conserve maximum heat and any slight damage can reduce energy conservation massively. Insulation foam that has snapped can cause a huge loss of heat as the sealed unit of insulation has been broken, to prevent this it is recommended that a hot tub cover lifter is used and it is important to ensure no individuals (specifically children) treat the hot tub cover as a bed! Torn vinyl can also lead to a loss of vital heat, as once again, the sealed unit of the hot tub cover has been perforated. The two above problems cause the biggest issue with hot tub covers, water-logging, see our previous post on this problem (Click Here). A damaged/waterlogged hot tub cover results in no R-value of the hot tub cover, so to conserve pounds, a new hot tub cover is recommended, See the cover section of our website to order a a high quality replacement (Click Here).
Windbreaks
Simple, yet very effective. The panels of a hot tub do not lose as much heat as a damaged hot tub cover however, if the hot tub is in an open area and at constant battle with the elements, windbreaks can help conserve some heat and energy. Specific hot tub gazebos help conserve heat effectively but a simple fence can also do this just as effectively without the high cost.
Hot Tub Control Settings
We get regular calls from customers asking why their hot tub hasn't heater, when we find out that is has simple been put onto an Economy mode without intention. Although this is a regular mistake, users are finding that this can actually become helpful in conserving energy and saving money. In economy mode you can program the hot tub to heat for a certain time, and when the hot tub is not heating for a specific time, it is held at a lower temperature like 21 degree Celsius. Instead of holding the temperature at between 38deg-40deg in standard mode, the lower temperature will help conserve energy.
Air Jets, LED Lights & Air Blowers
All those listed above are great accessories for your hot tub are spa, whether its wowing friends with your LED lights, adding power to jets with air or cooling off with the air blower, these features make your hot tub special. The problem comes when features are left on whilst the hot tub is not in use. LED lights consume unnecessary electricity when left on and by simply turning them off you can save £'s! Air jets allow a slight air intake into the water system, this obviously cools the water, lowering the water temperature over time, all you need to do is ensure that you turn the air jet controllers off when the hot tub is not in use to prevent this cooling from happening. This is the same with air blowers, they cool the water quite rapidly if on unnecessarily, so ensuring the blower is off and not used unnecessarily can also help save energy.
Cartridge Filters
Clogged or worn out filters can reduce circulation to such an extent that pumps can be damaged by dry running. Heater element efficiency is also reduced as water flow is affected on such a scale. Luckily most systems, such as Balboa control systems have "DR" and "LF" warnings to prevent heaters from burning out if water is reduced to such an extent. However the fact is you must ensure that filters are regularly checked, cleaned and if necessary, replaced, and by doing this strain on the pumps and heater will be reduced, making your hot tub much more efficient. For information on our high quality Pleatco filters......Click Here. To see our full range of stocked filters....Click Here.
Floating Thermal Blankets
When these products were simply transferred from the pool cover market into the hot tub industry, people asked...Why did we not sell these before? And rightly so, by placing a thermal blanket on the surface of your hot tub water, you can make a high return for such little investment. Not only does the cover prevent steam from leaving the hot tub surface, saving you money, it also increases your spa cover life by preventing chlorinated moisture from attacking your hot tub cover underside. A highly recommended investment. To see the thermal blankets we offer..Click Here
I hope this post will help save you money whilst being able to fully enjoy your hot tub!
For any questions or information e-mail (eddie@happyhottubs.co.uk)
Follow us on Twitter @HappyHotTubs (Here)
Like us on Facebook (Here).
Some of this content was based on ideas from SpaDepot.com (link - http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/energy-conservation.htm)
Some of this content was based on ideas from SpaDepot.com (link - http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/energy-conservation.htm)
