Hot tubs are becoming a staple at holiday parks, attracting both praise and criticism. While many enjoy the relaxation they offer, others point out their high energy consumption. The latter often label them as “energy hogs.” Meanwhile, experts are exploring ways to make hot tubs more eco-friendly.

Severin Borenstein, an energy economics expert, highlights the issue by sharing data from his own experience. He and his wife use their hot tub about five times a week. His calculations show that maintaining the hot tub’s heat uses around 18% of their household’s electricity, making hot tubs a significant energy drain. Various solutions, such as green energy sources and user behaviour changes, are now being studied to reduce this impact.

Hot Tubs and Energy Usage

Many holiday parks now include hot tubs as a must-have feature. However, Severin Borenstein often gets criticised for owning one. “Generally the criticism of owning a hot tub is it is a profligate use of energy,” he admits.

Heating is the primary reason for high energy usage in hot tubs. Even when not in use, the water needs to stay warm, to prevent it from cooling down too much. Borenstein, who studies energy economics, crunched the data for his home. He and his wife use their hot tub about five times a week. “To keep the hot tub hot every day, on average I would have to heat it about 30 minutes per day, to make up for the heat loss,” he explains. His hot tub filters for roughly six hours daily. It’s emptied and refilled around three times annually. Overall, the hot tub uses about 18% of his household’s electricity.

Borenstein found that running his hot tub for a year emits nearly as much greenhouse gas as a one-way flight between Boston and London. Hot tubs are therefore often labelled as “energy hogs,” similar to heated sheds and swimming pools. According to Uswitch, they are likely the most energy-hungry home appliance.

Making Hot Tubs Greener

There are ways to reduce a hot tub’s energy consumption. One option is to change how the tub is powered. Many come with electric heaters, but switching to a green energy source can lessen the carbon footprint. These heaters can also be supplemented with solar water heating, cutting down electricity use. However, this may add complexity for home installations. Retail customers prefer simplicity, notes Karl Rowntree from UK hot tub manufacturer RotoSpa.

Holiday parks are more willing to adopt alternative heating solutions. Options like solar and biomass boilers, which run on wood pellets or even coffee waste, are more popular in these settings. Heat pumps are another energy-efficient choice. An air-source heat pump, for instance, uses less power compared to an electric heater. WhatSpa? estimates that a standard electric heater uses more than three times as much power during a heating cycle compared to an air-source heat pump.

Rowntree mentions that an air-source heat pump can reduce energy costs by up to 75% and pay for itself within three years. Other factors like insulation, size, and temperature settings also play a role in efficiency. Energy-saving features on control systems can help, too. Rowntree uses a sleep timer to save energy on his own tub, which cools down overnight but costs less than keeping it hot throughout the night.

The Impact of User Behaviour

User behaviour also affects energy consumption. At AliKats chalets in the French Alps, hot tubs are a hit, but the company wants to reduce energy and water use amid local droughts. Their policy now charges guests extra for hot tub use in summer or if a mid-week water change is needed.

“In the winter, most guests still want to opt in to the hot tub but increasingly in the summer, more and more guests are opting out,” says Al Judge, co-founder of AliKats. Proper usage can avoid mid-week water changes, like showering before entering the tub.

AliKats also banned alcohol in hot tubs. Beer can react with hot water and turn unpleasant quickly. By forbidding drinking, they keep the water use more sustainable.

The Rollercoaster Hot Tub Market

The hot tub market has seen ups and downs. During COVID-19, sales surged in 2020 and 2021. However, in the UK, sales dipped in 2022 and 2023 due to the high cost of living and rising electricity prices. Rowntree notes that RotoSpa’s sales went from about 600 a year pre-COVID to 2,500 during the pandemic, then down to roughly 1,000 more recently.

Much of the recent rebound is due to the popularity of hot tubs in vacation rentals. Property owners in the UK have noticed an increase in bookings by 10-20% from adding a hot tub.

Maintaining these hot tubs, however, remains costly. At Yorkshire’s Baxby Manor, owner Barney Smith installed three hot tubs with air-source heat pumps, solar panels, and battery storage. “Despite this it still costs me around £100 between every changeover to fully clean, re-fill and heat each hot tub,” he states.

Future of Hot Tubs in Tourism

Even with high maintenance and energy costs, many in tourism believe hot tubs are now essential. Yasmin Wilkes of Loose Reins in Dorset says they have become a standard expectation.

Prof Borenstein from California argues that focusing solely on the energy consumption of hot tubs might miss the broader benefits. These include health perks like reduced blood pressure and better sleep. “There are many things we do that have environmental impact,” he reflects.

Therefore, while hot tubs do consume a lot of energy, they also provide valuable benefits to users.

Improving the energy efficiency of hot tubs is a growing concern in today’s eco-conscious world. With innovative solutions like solar heating and air-source heat pumps, there’s potential for substantial improvements. Additionally, changing user behaviour and adopting energy-saving features can play a crucial role.

Ultimately, while hot tubs may have a significant environmental footprint, they also offer various benefits. By focusing on sustainability, it’s possible to enjoy these perks while minimising their negative impact. This balance is key to making hot tubs a more eco-friendly option in the future.