Inflatable Hot Tub Running Costs (Real US Numbers)
Search “how much does an inflatable hot tub cost to run” and you’ll get two useless answers: a shrug (“somewhere between $20 and $200 a month”) and a pile of UK guides doing the math in pounds and pence. Neither helps if you’re paying a US electric bill. So let’s build a number you can actually trust — using your tub’s real power draw, your state’s electricity price, and a formula you can rerun for your own setup.
Fair warning: I’m going to show you the math instead of handing you one tidy figure, because a single “$45/month” would be lying about how much your climate and cover change things. Stick with me — it’s simpler than it looks.
The short answer
For a typical SaluSpa kept covered and used a few times a week, most owners land somewhere around $30-70 a month — lower in mild weather with good habits, higher in a cold snap. The three things that move that number most: your climate, your electricity rate, and how well the tub is insulated. Everything below is about pinning down your spot in that range.
Where the money actually goes
Here’s the mental model that fixes most confusion: you’re not paying to run a heater 24/7. You’re paying to replace heat as it leaks out.
A SaluSpa’s pump/heater unit is rated at 12 amps on 110-120V (that’s straight off the manual’s spec plate), which works out to roughly 1.4 kW while it’s heating. It runs flat-out to reach temperature, then cycles on and off to hold temperature. The colder and less insulated your setup, the more hours per day it has to kick back on — and that run-time is your bill.
The simple formula
monthly cost = heater kW × hours it runs per day × 30 × your $/kWh
Three of those you can pin down:
- heater kW: about 1.4 kW for a standard 110-120V SaluSpa (derived from the 12 A / 115 V spec — treat it as a close estimate, not a lab figure).
- your $/kWh: the US residential average is about 18 cents/kWh in 2026 (US Energy Information Administration), but it ranges widely — from around 11¢ in the cheapest states up to the high-20s in New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine all sit near 29-30¢) and above 30¢ in California, with Hawaii higher still. Use your own bill — it’s on there.
- 30: days in the month.
The one you estimate is hours per day the heater runs. That’s the whole game, so let’s put realistic numbers on it.
What a month really costs — worked examples
These use 1.4 kW and the US-average 18¢/kWh. Swap in your own rate and the picture shifts, but the shape holds.
| Scenario | Heater run-time | Monthly kWh | Est. cost @ 18¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild climate, cover on, moderate use | ~4 hr/day | ~168 kWh | ~$30 |
| Cold climate, cover on | ~8 hr/day | ~336 kWh | ~$60 |
| Cold + poor insulation / cover off often | ~12+ hr/day | ~500+ kWh | ~$90+ |
| Deep winter, exposed, heavy use | near-continuous | 700+ kWh | $125+ |
Read these as estimates, not quotes. The run-time column is a model, not a meter reading — it’s there so you can find your row and recompute with your real rate. That’s also why owners honestly report anything from $20 to $200: they’re living in different rows.
Your state’s electricity price
The single biggest reason two people get wildly different bills for the same tub is the rate. At 11¢/kWh that ”~$60” cold-climate row is about $37; at 32¢ it’s about $107 — same tub, same weather. Pull last month’s bill, find your price per kWh, and drop it into the formula. Don’t skip this step; it can double or halve every number above.
5 ways to cut the bill
Every one of these works by cutting heat loss, so the heater runs fewer hours:
- Keep the cover on — always, especially between soaks. The biggest lever by far. An uncovered tub bleeds heat to evaporation and reheats constantly.
- Add a floating thermal blanket under the cover for extra surface insulation.
- Insulate the base. Foam tiles or rigid foam board under the tub stops the cold ground from wicking heat out the bottom — a cheap DIY win owners consistently rate highly.
- Mind the set temperature. Every degree costs. Dropping the target a couple of degrees when you’re not using it saves money — though in cold weather, letting it fall too far means a long, pricey reheat, so don’t overdo it (more on that below).
- Shelter it from wind and, if you can, tuck it against a wall or in a corner. Wind strips heat off the cover fast.
Is it cheaper to turn it down between uses?
For years people insisted it’s cheaper to hold a hot tub at temperature than to reheat it. For a small inflatable, that’s mostly a myth — holding a high temperature means paying for continuous heat loss, hour after hour, whether you soak or not. The honest rule:
- Turn the set temperature down when you’re not using it. ENERGY STAR estimates that lowering a spa’s temperature by about 3°F when it’s not in use can save roughly 5-10% for a tub used weekly. Less heat held means less heat lost.
- Use the built-in timer to heat on demand. Bestway designed the power-saving timer precisely so you can warm the water for when you’ll actually use it rather than holding it hot around the clock — and advises against running the spa continuously 24/7.
- How far to set back depends on how often you soak. Daily users might drop it just a couple of degrees; once-a-week users can let it cool more between sessions.
The one hard exception is freezing weather: don’t power an outdoor tub all the way down, because FreezeShield needs power to protect the pump and pipes — see the winter guide and FreezeShield explained for why.
FAQ
Does it cost more in winter? Yes — a lot more. Cold air and ground mean the heater runs far more hours to hold temperature. Winter is where a cover and base insulation pay for themselves fastest.
Can I run it on a normal outlet? A standard 110-120V SaluSpa runs on a regular household circuit through its GFCI plug — but it’s a heavy, continuous draw, so give it its own circuit and skip the extension cord.
How much does it cost just to heat it up once? From a cold fill it may run most of a day. At 1.4 kW for, say, 18 hours, that’s ~25 kWh — roughly $4-5 at the US-average rate for the initial heat-up, before you’ve held it at temperature at all.
Why is my bill higher than your table? Almost always a higher local rate, a colder climate, or heat loss (no cover, bare ground, wind). Check your $/kWh first — it’s the usual culprit.
Tracked your tub’s real monthly cost? Tell me your climate, your rate, and what you actually paid — real reader numbers make this guide sharper than any model.
Jake Weber — Jake Weber is the pen name of Rookie Spa’s editor. I don’t sell spas or chemicals, and I’m not affiliated with any brand. Every guide here starts from the manufacturer’s manual, is cross-checked against the questions and fixes owners report most often, and is written in plain English for first-time owners — with a clear warning whenever something involves electricity or water safety.