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How to calculate electricity use / cost per month?


libby7419

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Hi everyone!

I bought a used hot tub and have had it since December 2017.  I suspect it's costing way more than I thought it would in electricity.  I moved into this house in May of 2017 though so I can't compare electricity bills for before that...

Here's what I do know:

The temp is set to 105 and stays there constantly.

The brand is Balboa, and it seats about 6 people, it's about 6 foot by 6 foot.

I keep reading they're "between $20 to 50 a month" but suspect it's a lot more.

How do I figure out what the actual cost?  https://www.directenergy.com/learning-center/how-much-electricity-does-a-hot-tub-use

How do I figure out if I have a 120 volt or 240 volt heater?  

This website refers to "hours of use" but since it's constantly on isn't it 24 hours / day?

Thanks!!

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I think you are asking the wrong questions. How do I get my spa to run more efficiently so I can lower my Hydro bill is a better question. 

Do you use the spa in "Economy" Mode?

Does the spa have a circulation pump or does it use the main pump for heating and filtering?

How long do you have your filter cycles set to run for?

Do you close the air injection valves that when turned on add air to the flow of water when the spa is not in use?

Do you turn the waterfall off when not in use

Do you have a good fitting cover? Most of your heat loss will be through the cover. If you have an old waterlogged cover with rolled up corners and cracks or splits in the center seams you may as well just sign your paycheck over to the Hydro company. 

 

12 hours ago, libby7419 said:

This website refers to "hours of use" but since it's constantly on isn't it 24 hours / day?

Yes the spa is "on" 24/7 but really only drawing power when a component like the pump or heater is running. 

 

12 hours ago, libby7419 said:

I moved into this house in May of 2017 though so I can't compare electricity bills for before that...

Contact your local utilities they might have the past bills on file

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If your spa has a standard plug that plugs in to a standard receptacle/outlet, it is 120v. If your spa is directly wired to a breaker panel that is within sight of the spa, it's likely 240V. 

240V spas are typically more energy efficient than plug-n-play 120v spas. 

If your spa is 120V, you can buy a watt meter that can monitor the consumption at the receptacle. It simply plugs in to the outlet, and your spa plugs in to that. 

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I have a 1988 CalSpa 240 VAC (40-amp) but I live in Arizona.

The first 20 years I had this, I had a $700 no-interest to purchase "load controller" installed by the electric company which "shed" power to the spa's 5500W heater when my calculated demand for a one-hour period exceeded my desired limit (I got surcharged based on the one hour of highest demand in that month).

Once that load controller died, the electric company had changed billing plans, and I decided to set the spa to its 104F set temperature, and just allow the thermostat to determine when the pump and heater would come on (the other option is time of day timer settings).  Our winter temperatures do drop to about 37C, but I'm still amazed how FEW minutes per day the spa pump/heater actually turn on, well under 1 hour, I'd say more like 1/2 hour.  Maybe the old CalSpa was really well insulated, maybe my cover is jut doing its job well.

1. So how many hours per day does your pump operate?

2. How good is your cover anyway?

3. Can the cabinet sides come off and more insulation be added?

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9 hours ago, Susanj said:

This could be used on anything electrical? 

Yes. Be aware that the ring shown in the picture above, has to be installed around the Line (hot) wire, in order to work. For most installations, this is not practical because wire is typically not exposed for you to do this. If you want to monitor 120v, the best way is to get a plug-in style meter to use at an outlet. 

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3 hours ago, Susanj said:

I was wondering about our hot water heater.

It would be difficult to get that clamp/sensor around your water heater wiring. I'm thinking you'd have to do it at the panel. 

Personally, I wouldn't want to know what the water heater consumption is. ...It's not like you can do without it. I guess you could trade it out for a gas water heater or an on-demand water heater, if you're really concerned. 

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Sure, you could use it for a water heater.  You might need an IP65 junction box (also cheap) or something similar to mount the display.  If your breaker box is anything like mine there's just no room in there and you're better off installing it at the heater. 

Talking hot tubs here -  I installed it directly on my spa pack cover and that's worked out great so far.  

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OP here.  Super embarrassed.

My gas and electricity are combined into one bill.  Automatically charged to my credit card.  CC was replaced a month ago as it was "compromised" - forgot to update utility co.  So this month's bill is really two months' worth.

Have had a REALLY good look at my utility bill and can now see actual electricity use is about 1/3 of my electricity bill - the rest are "distribution charges", "transmission charges", "rate riders", "local access fees", and taxes.

When I looked back at my 2020 bills (summarized on utility website), I had been horrified to see some over $1000 - then again when I dug in I remember at the beginning of Covid I panicked and tried to defer as my bills as I could, LOL including utilities...

Anyway thanks for all the feedback I'm still going to check into:

1. State of my cover - can I really "dry out" a waterlogged cover?  It's a folding type, no sagging or rips, but does seem waterlogged.

2. Will look into economy mode.  I already turned it down by 1 degree LOL.

3. I love that meter!

So happy I'm not really paying $200 a month for the hot tub, was really considering getting rid of it...

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10 hours ago, libby7419 said:

Anyway thanks for all the feedback I'm still going to check into:

1. State of my cover - can I really "dry out" a waterlogged cover?  It's a folding type, no sagging or rips, but does seem waterlogged.

 

I don't think these can be dried out, from what I've read.

After a while, on my cover I notice that no way will the cover zippers still operate, so think even a cover company would not be able to insert new styrofoam panels.

I was fortunate - my current cover (needs replacement soon due to rips, not waterlogging - which I have had with past covers) was bought at a local pool store that had purchased like 20 random covers for cheap, and was selling them at a low price....but the Arizona sun has taken its toll, even on my patio which shields it from the summer sun....

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  • 8 months later...
2 hours ago, DarryRain said:

Wow, man, a hot tub requires a lot. Especially if it's on all the time, I think you should cut back a little bit. I think that kind of spending is a little unreasonable from any perspective. I once realized that I was spending too much on my bills. I can't say it's too expensive for me because my income is stable and good

Kind of judgmental, I think. The Op corrected his post to explain that his costs were mis understood initially.

I for one, chose to spend my money on the hot tub. We don't take big expensive family vacations, we choose to stay at home or go to local state and national forests and enjoy the simple things. The hot tub plays into this for relaxation and therapy. There is nothing like hopping in the tub after a day of doing yard work or having friends over to tub and talk. My tub runs me around $40 a month for electricity and chemicals. This is less than I would spend for a trip to Disney, etc. My quality of life has improved and that is hard to put a price on. Many others here will agree with me.

I bought a cheap Class C (I paid less than $6K for it and repairs) for weekend trips to local parks and forests so it's the cost of gas and food to get away when we want to. I can do a weekend to the local national forest for  about $200. Again, cheap relaxation and de stressing.

I prefer to spend my money this way, others choose to spend their money in other ways. It might not be for you, fine. You do you.

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On 8/12/2022 at 9:35 AM, cranbiz said:

I prefer to spend my money this way, others choose to spend their money in other ways. It might not be for you, fine. You do you.

Completely agree with this.

Back to the Op's question and to elaborate on Dirrby's solution, I found this Emporia Vue system while trying to figure out if my main 200 amp service panel would have any load issues before installing my tub back in March.

https://www.amazon.com/Emporia-Monitor-Circuit-Electricity-Metering/dp/B08CJGPHL9/ref=sr_1_2?crid=37LMKQAPRCOC5&keywords=emporia%2Bvue&qid=1660580567&sprefix=emporia%2Bvue%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-2&th=1

This allowed me to track 16 different circuits plus the two mains, and realize just how much of an energy hog my on demand water heater is (up to 102 amps peak draw in the winter yikes!).  Eventually I'm going to swap this out for a more efficient heat pump model water heater, but I've found my tub only consumes about $17 per month in electric during the summer and around $25 during the colder months, albeit in a climate controlled room (60degF Winter/72degF summer).  The app that comes with the Vue is easy to use and makes tracking energy quite easy.  It also comes with push alerts for things like the oven getting left on by an idiot teenager.

Here was my initial install (only took about an hour), but I have since learned better and placed the Vue module outside the panel while adding my spa panel. Far less crowded that way IMO.

VueInstall.thumb.PNG.730f0f6105283342366f3b4969fccebf.PNG

 

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