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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hot Tub? $0.26/Hour, $42.08/Month

Running a hot tub at 1,500 watts for 5.5 hours a day costs about $1.40 a day and $42.08 a month at 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢) — roughly $512 a year.

1,500 W (1,000–6,000 W)Typical power draw
5.5 h/day, 30 days/monthAssumed use
8.25 kWhEnergy per day

· Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23

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a hot tub: energy cost only (1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × hours × rate); fixed fees and taxes extra.
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Slider nudges the rate for a hot tub; the URL keeps it.

## How much does it cost to run a hot tub?

The same a hot tub at 5.5 hours a day costs $29.70 a month at 12¢ and $111.38 at 45¢ — usage held constant, only the rate moving:

Table 1: How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hot Tub? $0.26/Hour, $42.08/Month
Electricity rate Per hour Per day Per month Per year
12¢/kWh $0.180 $0.99 $29.70 $361
15¢/kWh $0.225 $1.24 $37.12 $452
17¢/kWh (US avg) $0.255 $1.40 $42.08 $512
20¢/kWh $0.300 $1.65 $49.50 $602
25¢/kWh $0.375 $2.06 $61.88 $753
30¢/kWh $0.450 $2.48 $74.25 $903
35¢/kWh $0.525 $2.89 $86.62 $1,054
45¢/kWh $0.675 $3.71 $111.38 $1,355
Typical power draw
1,500 W (1,000–6,000 W)
Assumed use
5.5 h/day, 30 days/month
Energy per day
8.25 kWh
Cost per day
$1.40
Cost per month
$42.08
Cost per year
$512

Why this number

Running a hot tub at 1,500 watts for 5.5 hours a day costs about $1.40 a day and $42.08 a month at 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢) — roughly $512 a year. The formula for a hot tub: 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × hours × your rate per kWh. For a hot tub your own rate changes the answer: at 12¢/kWh that month costs $29.70, at 45¢/kWh it costs $111.38.

A hot tub rated at 1,500 watts, run 5.5 hours a day, costs about $1.40 a day — about $42.08 a month, or $512 a year — at the US average electricity rate of 17¢/kWh. That makes it one of the most expensive things in a typical home to run — 4th out of the 40 appliances tracked here. If you are trying to cut a bill, this is where the money is.

What actually drives this number

A hot tub’s bill is dominated by keeping water hot around the clock, not by the hours you sit in it — so the figure here models effective heater run-time across the whole year, not soak time. Cover quality and ambient temperature matter more than anything you set on the panel, and winter costs can be several times summer ones.

At 1,500 W every hour of this load costs about $0.26, and no more efficient unit exists to buy — resistance heat is resistance heat at any price point. At this scale the levers are habit-sized, not equipment-sized: its closest heat-category neighbor on a monthly bill is the electric water heater at about $39.01, and the electricity cost calculator prices any wattage-and-hours pattern at your own rate.

Where this number comes from

Putting Hot tub in proportion

At 17¢/kWh, a hot tub next to the rest of the bill:

For a hot tub: making heat is where household electricity goes, but how it is made decides the bill. A resistance element — an oven, a dryer, a resistance furnace, a kettle — converts every watt into exactly one watt of heat, so a cheap appliance and an expensive one with the same rating cost the same to run and efficiency is not something you can shop for. Equipment that moves heat instead of making it, like a heat pump, delivers several units of heat per unit of electricity and breaks that rule entirely. The only levers on a resistance load are running it less, running it lower, or heating a smaller space. On this site’s own numbers, a hot tub lands at #4 of 40 on the monthly-cost ranking, at about $42.08 for a typical month.

The formula, in full

The 1,500 W arithmetic for a hot tub, step by step:

  1. Watts to kilowatts. 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 = 1.50 kW.
  2. Energy per day. 1.50 kW × 5.5 hours = 8.25 kWh.
  3. Cost per day. 8.25 kWh × $0.17 = $1.40.
  4. Cost per month. $1.40 × 30 days = $42.08.

For a hot tub the two levers are run-hours (5.5 h/day here) and your rate; at 5.5 hours a day, 1,500 W adds up — which is why anything that makes heat dominate the rankings.

Hot tub running cost in cold states this winter

A hot tub’s heater runs hardest when the air is coldest, and cold states also carry some of the highest winter electricity rates. The same 1,500 W at 5.5 effective hours a day, priced at each cold state’s October 2025–March 2026 average residential rate (EIA):

Hot tub monthly running cost in 20 cold states at last winter's average electricity rate
State Winter rate Monthly at 5.5 h/day
Alaska 26.11¢ $64.62
North Dakota 11.71¢ $28.98
Minnesota 15.41¢ $38.14
Maine 29.81¢ $73.78
Wisconsin 18.39¢ $45.52
Montana 13.26¢ $32.82
Vermont 23.81¢ $58.93
New Hampshire 26.78¢ $66.28
South Dakota 13.59¢ $33.64
Wyoming 13.55¢ $33.54
Michigan 20.11¢ $49.77
Idaho 12.38¢ $30.64
New York 27.96¢ $69.20
Iowa 13.1¢ $32.42
Colorado 16.45¢ $40.71
Nebraska 12.31¢ $30.47
Massachusetts 30.88¢ $76.43
Connecticut 28.26¢ $69.94
Utah 13.19¢ $32.65
Illinois 17.86¢ $44.20

The hours figure, not the rate, is the lever you control: a well-fitted cover and a lower set-point in the coldest weeks cut the effective heater hours directly. The winter heating hub shows what the same electricity buys in whole-house heat.

Other heating loads: Electric water heater ($475/yr), Electric furnace ($597/yr), Tankless water heater ($391/yr). Closest on annual cost: Heat pump ($524/yr), Ductless mini-split ($479/yr). Across all other heating loads here, the cheapest is Air fryer at $1.33/mo.

The a hot tub table above runs a fixed rate ladder (12–45¢); the state quick-fill uses July 2026 averages from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A .

Put a hot tub ($42.08 a month) against everything else in the electricity cost calculator , check your state’s rate , or browse all 40 appliances ; year-round high bills: solar savings calculator .

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a hot tub per hour?

About $0.255 an hour for a hot tub at 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢), for a 1,500 W unit. The calculation is 1,500 ÷ 1,000 × 1 hour × $0.17 per kWh. At 30¢/kWh the same hour costs $0.450.

How much does a hot tub add to my monthly bill?

Roughly $42.08 a month for a hot tub at 5.5 hours a day, 30 days a month, 17¢/kWh. That is about $512 a year if you use it that much year-round. For a hot tub, change the 5.5-hour default to your own use — run-time moves the total as much as the 1,500 W does.

How many watts does a hot tub use?

Typically around 1,500 W, with real units ranging from about 1,000 to 6,000 W depending on size, model and setting. The nameplate on your own unit is the figure to trust — these are typical values for planning, not a measurement of your appliance.

Why is my actual bill higher than the a hot tub figure?

$42.08 a month is the energy cost of a hot tub alone; your bill adds fixed connection charges, delivery fees, taxes and every other load. Add the other appliances in the index to a hot tub for the controllable part of the bill.

How we calculated this

Worked for a hot tub: 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 5.5 h × $0.17 = $1.40 a day; × 30 days = $42.08 a month; × 12 months in use = $512 a year. 1,500 W and 5.5 h are the typical figures cited for a hot tub; 17¢ is EIA’s 2025 annual US average.

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.

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