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Cover 1/2 On For Soaks And Inital Heating Of Tub


seabright_sc

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Got my first electric bill and thanks to a tiered pricing system per KW, my energy bill is about double anticipated. I figure all of my tub use cost about .28 per kwh and could go to .40 if usage goes into next teir. This is opposed to .11 for my baseline usage. No a big deal, but many times I soak solo and was wondering if leaving the cover half on during soaks has a significant impact on the amount of heat loss.

Also... does heating a tub after refill use significantly more energy than maintaining its heat once tub has been heated? Will this be noticed on electric bill?

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Got my first electric bill and thanks to a tiered pricing system per KW, my energy bill is about double anticipated. I figure all of my tub use cost about .28 per kwh and could go to .40 if usage goes into next teir. This is opposed to .11 for my baseline usage. No a big deal, but many times I soak solo and was wondering if leaving the cover half on during soaks has a significant impact on the amount of heat loss.

Also... does heating a tub after refill use significantly more energy than maintaining its heat once tub has been heated? Will this be noticed on electric bill?

1) I wouldn't think leaving the cover half on during a soak would make an appreciable difference,

2) The amount of energy to take the water from its start up temp to the final temp of 100+ is somewhat significant. You should see a decrease in the second month.

3) If you have a spa that utilizes a 2-speed pump for filtering (meaning you do NOT have a circ pump) then you should ALWAYS leave the air controls in the off position after soaking so they do not draw air into the water during filtration cycles which cools down the water.

4) Consider getting a floating blanket.

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Got my first electric bill and thanks to a tiered pricing system per KW, my energy bill is about double anticipated. I figure all of my tub use cost about .28 per kwh and could go to .40 if usage goes into next teir. This is opposed to .11 for my baseline usage. No a big deal, but many times I soak solo and was wondering if leaving the cover half on during soaks has a significant impact on the amount of heat loss.

Also... does heating a tub after refill use significantly more energy than maintaining its heat once tub has been heated? Will this be noticed on electric bill?

There will be a increase associated to reaching the setpoint after a refill, but you will definitely use less energy maintaining the setting once it is reached. There will be slight fluctuations based on volume of usage and ambient air temperature etc., but I doubt that it would be double your baseline. I wouldn't think that leaving the cover 1/2 on would save much if anything, it like running the AC with the window 1/2 open or all the way open. But leaving it partially covered is not a bad idea; it won't save you a significant amount of energy though.

Enjoy the spa...!

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Got my first electric bill and thanks to a tiered pricing system per KW, my energy bill is about double anticipated. I figure all of my tub use cost about .28 per kwh and could go to .40 if usage goes into next teir. This is opposed to .11 for my baseline usage. No a big deal, but many times I soak solo and was wondering if leaving the cover half on during soaks has a significant impact on the amount of heat loss.

Also... does heating a tub after refill use significantly more energy than maintaining its heat once tub has been heated? Will this be noticed on electric bill?

There will be a increase associated to reaching the setpoint after a refill, but you will definitely use less energy maintaining the setting once it is reached. There will be slight fluctuations based on volume of usage and ambient air temperature etc., but I doubt that it would be double your baseline. I wouldn't think that leaving the cover 1/2 on would save much if anything, it like running the AC with the window 1/2 open or all the way open. But leaving it partially covered is not a bad idea; it won't save you a significant amount of energy though.

Enjoy the spa...!

Thanks for the replies! Of course this is not scientific and I understand that metering your spa is the only true way to gauge it's energy, but based on my historical usage over two years it appears that my tub is used about 250 kwh for 19 days of use (and initial heating). Our avg. temp was about 52F and we have used the tub daily for 45-60 minutes . It's a 300 gallon older hs tub. The problem is all of those extra kwh were above baseline so they cost .28 per kwh! Does my energy usage sound in the ballpark?

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Got my first electric bill and thanks to a tiered pricing system per KW, my energy bill is about double anticipated. I figure all of my tub use cost about .28 per kwh and could go to .40 if usage goes into next teir. This is opposed to .11 for my baseline usage. No a big deal, but many times I soak solo and was wondering if leaving the cover half on during soaks has a significant impact on the amount of heat loss.

Also... does heating a tub after refill use significantly more energy than maintaining its heat once tub has been heated? Will this be noticed on electric bill?

There will be a increase associated to reaching the setpoint after a refill, but you will definitely use less energy maintaining the setting once it is reached. There will be slight fluctuations based on volume of usage and ambient air temperature etc., but I doubt that it would be double your baseline. I wouldn't think that leaving the cover 1/2 on would save much if anything, it like running the AC with the window 1/2 open or all the way open. But leaving it partially covered is not a bad idea; it won't save you a significant amount of energy though.

Enjoy the spa...!

Thanks for the replies! Of course this is not scientific and I understand that metering your spa is the only true way to gauge it's energy, but based on my historical usage over two years it appears that my tub is used about 250 kwh for 19 days of use (and initial heating). Our avg. temp was about 52F and we have used the tub daily for 45-60 minutes . It's a 300 gallon older hs tub. The problem is all of those extra kwh were above baseline so they cost .28 per kwh! Does my energy usage sound in the ballpark?

That does seem a bit high, but your usage is above what is considered average. I would check the quantitiy and duration of the filter cycles and see if yhey are out of normal parameter. I would have the filter setting set for off-peak hours and check with other spa owners in your area and see what kind of increase they have seen from their spas.

just a thought..

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See the following from a previous post...

Using my own 530 gallon tub as a basis it will take about 11 hours to get from 10c to 39c with a 5.5KW heater.

5.5KW x 11 hours = 60.5kwh

60.5kwh x $0.145 = $8.77

This is by no means scientific data, and the $ amount may not be relevant using your prices, however the figure of 60.5 kwh should be +/- maybe 15% depending upon your tub water volume and starting temperature.

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I have a south pacific compact and often close one half of the top after getting in. The two "pillow" pads molded into the top make a great lever against my knees to help hold me a bit lower in the water, and leaving the top half shut most DEFINITELY helps the water stay warmer a bit longer on very cool nights. The mist of "fog" that accumulates under there slows evaporation, which slows cooling. Yes it works.

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