When you write blog articles, sometimes you have to spend time poking around online for ideas of what to write about next. In my recent searching around online, I came across a disturbing response posted on a site called “The Simple Dollar”. The response was to a reader who posed a question regarding the energy use of a hot tub in a home they rent. The question ended up being about whether they should keep the hot tub warm year round, or heat it only when they plan to use it.

The response from the site author was alarming and uninformed. It was very general in its nature, and the conclusion was that using a hot tub the size they had at their home would cost as much as $6.25 for one use!

Sometimes, folks, the Internet is NOT your friend!

I can’t tell you how disheartening it is to read things like this. There was obviously no research done by this individual, nor were any hot tub manufacturers consulted about hot tub energy use. No local hot tub dealer was interviewed either. From what I can tell, there wasn’t anything taken into account regarding the construction of the hot tub—its insulation, how it was designed to heat, the hot tub brand or the age of the tub. In essence, the response was more or less equal to someone telling everyone out there that the car they drive back and forth to work every day will always get 10 miles to a gallon of gas!

It is also a disservice to the livelihood of many small business owners across the U.S. in the business of selling hot tubs. Statements like this made without informed research done could turn many off to owning a hot tub that may need one for health reasons.

Here’s what I’m here to tell you today: The brand of tub that Oregon Hot Tub sells—Hot Spring Spas—are incredibly energy efficient. Not only can we say this with certainty, we also have documented results of energy consumption to back it up. In fact, Hot Spring is the ONLY hot tub manufacturer who has ever hired an outside party to study the energy consumption of their product and document the cost!

What factors were used in the study? It was based on reality of daily use, which to Hot Spring means is the hot tub will be used at least six times a week, a half an hour each time, and using the jets for 15 minutes. Ambient temperature and temperature of the water hot 24 hours a day were also factors in getting the energy consumption.

If you plug in the kWh cost in the Portland area (erring on the high side of 9 cents per kWh) on a Hot Spring Vanguard (a 400 gallon tub), the average energy cost in the Northwest is $17.56!

There are many factors in the makeup of a Hot Spring Spa that make it so energy efficient. You can see a complete list of the reasons for such low energy consumption on their website here.

We’re proud of Hot Spring’s commitment to making such a terrific product, and its energy efficiency. When you’re ready to invest in a hot tub, make sure you’re doing good research to find true data. You’ll be glad you did!