Lay Z Spa are one of the most popular inflatable hot tub brands on the market, and for good reason! They’re well respected for their premium build quality at affordable prices, but how much does it actually cost to run one of these things?
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Lazy Spa?
According to the official website, their average weekly Lay-Z-Spa running costs are around £7-£10. However, this figure is based on using your inflatable hot tub for only 25 minutes three days a week in average UK summer temperatures and was before the increase in energy tariffs.
If you’ve ever owned an inflatable hot tub, you’ll know that this is quite a conservative estimate, so let’s look into how much it will cost you to run a Lay Z Spa!
Lazy Spa Running Costs 2023
To Lay Z Spa’s credit, they’ve put a lot of effort and research into energy efficiency factors, with several built-in features incorporated into their inflatable hot tub range designed around saving money on energy consumption.
Compared to other brands, Lay Z Spa hot tubs are surprisingly efficient, with independent studies showing that the Lay-Z-Spa pump can get the water to 40 degrees Celsius 10% faster than an inflatable hot tub competitor.
So, whilst you will notice your energy costs rise when running your new Lay Z Spa, it will be more cost-effective than other popular inflatables!
If you need a more general guide on the cost of running an inflatable spa, then view our other detailed article.
Lay Z Spa Energy Efficient Features
Alongside speedy heat-up times, tests show that the Lay Z Spa hot tub pump uses 35% less energy to maintain its water temperature and costs around £620 less to run over three years than its closest competition.
Not to mention that their Duraplus insulation is 18% more energy efficient in terms of heat retention than a regular hot tub!
But how do Lay Z Spa achieve this?
Power saving timer
One of the top energy efficiency features in Lay Z Spa hot tub options is their power-saving timer.
Using this function, you can choose how long you’d like your system to run and when you’d like it to turn on, all without having to readjust the settings throughout the day manually.
This can save money on your electricity bill and inflatable hot tub running costs as you can choose to only power the heater when you’re planning on using the hot tub or choose to warm up the water at set times throughout the day to maintain a pre-decided setting without keeping the heating of the hot tub running constantly.
This video shows how to save money by using the timer.
Freeze Shield
Freeze Shield frost protection is another excellent efficiency feature present in all Lay Z Spa hot tubs made after 2021.
Freeze Shield technology constantly monitors your inflatable hot tub water and automatically engages the central heating system if it drops below 6 degrees Celsius.
This prevents the water from freezing during winter. It speeds up your daily heating times by reducing how much you’ll need to warm the water back up by each day, again meaning you can avoid the costs of keeping it activated continuously.
Rapid heating system
Lay Z Spa’s rapid heater is thermostatically regulated (like a home central heating system). Once it hits a set temperature, it will automatically turn off until the water drops a few degrees.
This helps to preserve energy by only drawing power when necessary, producing a cost-effective heating system that has been proven to intelligently warm up hot tub water 10% faster than spas from comparable brands.
Duraplus construction
With how quickly heat can transfer through the air in inflatable hot tubs, one of the best ways to prevent heat loss, keep the water at the desired temperature and improve energy efficiency is to provide extra insulation in the surrounding walls.
Lay Z Spa has done this by producing a 3-layer PVC lining for their inflatable hot tubs, with an insulating polyester mesh at its core. This Duraplus material has been proven to prevent temperature loss by as much as 18% when compared to similarly-sized and constructed hot tubs resulting in lower energy costs.
Things That Can Affect Lay Z Spa Electric Costs
Size and model of your Lay Z Spa
Lay Z Spa claim that a 660L hot tub will take about 6-12 hours to heat, but their larger inflatable hot tubs have water capacities as big as 1190L.
It’ll take twice as long to heat these larger tubs at almost twice the size, resulting in higher energy costs and a more expensive electric bill!
(Top tip) buying a hose adaptor and filling the tub from the hot tap can drastically decrease this time. Just make sure the water is warm, not hot and add cold water first)
As Lay Z Spa continually develops more cost-effective hot tubs, their older spas will not be as efficient as the newer ones. For example, pre-2021 plug and plays don’t all feature frost protection, and pre-2017 tubs lack an energy-saving timer on the Lay-Z-Spa pump.
Weather
When you warm up your Lay Z Spa hot tub regularly, the molecules in the water become agitated and begin to look for the path of least resistance to pass on some of that built-up energy.
This is the basic principle of heat loss, which will happen faster when the ambient air temperature outside is much lower than that of the hot water inside your spa.
Basically, cold air and chilly temperatures mean it takes longer to warm up your Lay Z Spa, and you’ll need to engage the heating cycle more often to maintain a toasty hot tub, whilst in the summer months, it’ll cost far less to keep Lay Z Spas warm or you can place a lid on in the winter to retain heat!
How many times have you used your Lay Z Spa
Your hot tub running costs will increase every time you switch on the heater and jets in your Lay Z Spa. Despite all their energy-efficient features, drawing more power will always result in higher electricity costs!
Lay Z Spa’s estimated hot tub running cost comes to £7-£10 when using your hot tub for 75 minutes a week, so increasing that usage to an hour a day, five days a week could see your Lay-Z-Spas running cost shoots up to £35-£40 per week!
Then there are the maintenance costs, the cost of pool chemicals and inflatable spa filters, which will need to be replaced more frequently depending on how many people, so the amount you use your Lay Z Spa in a week has a massive impact on your running costs.
The better maintained your tub is the less you will have to drain and refill it saving money on water costs too!
How long do you spend in the spa?
Similarly to how often you intend to use your Lay Z Spa, how long you spend relaxing in the water during your soaks will have an effect on your overall running costs.
This isn’t quite as impactful as in some hot tubs, though. Their thermostatically regulated heating system and power-saving timer can reduce how much electricity you use by only engaging the thermostat when the water temperature begins to drop!
Airjet usage
Although turning on your air jets can actually help warm up your jacuzzi faster, as the improved water circulation will evenly distribute heat around your Lay Z Spa, you will draw more electricity doing this, resulting in higher running costs.
Another leading hot tub brand claims that running their heater is around twice as expensive as running their jets. So in the absence of any data from Lay Z Spa, we can make an educated guess that running both the heater and massage system simultaneously in an ambient air temperature will be around 50% more expensive than simply running the heater alone.
Temperature settings
The greater the difference between the ambient temperature outside and the temperature setting you’ve chosen for your Lay Z Spa, the more power your hot tub will use.
To put it simply, the water in your Lay Z Spa wants to be the same temperature as it is outside, so the colder it is, the faster the water temperature will drop when the heater is off.
You can minimise this effect by dropping your desired temperature in line with the weather, so if you enjoy 40-degree soaks in 30-degree weather, you should key in 20 degrees when the mercury plummets to 10. This way, you’ll experience the same energy usage and a similar heating bill!
Your electricity supplier and tariff
A large part of your Lay Z Spa running costs will be down to your electricity tariff, which you won’t have much control over!
Energy prices in the UK are currently between £0.38-£0.55 per kWh.
If you know your energy tariff, you can use the voltage of your Lay Z Spa in kWh (2.05 kWh for all models) and your average usage in hours to estimate your running costs.
Note: The cost of running larger models will take longer to heat, which will increase your monthly “usage in hours”.
For example, the 806L Paris spa, monthly costs could look like this:
2.05 kWh x 50 hours of use x £0.40 = £41 per month
Whilst the larger 1190L Santorini hot tub may take an extra 30 hours to heat, resulting in this equation:
2.05 kWh x 80 hours of use x £0.40 = £65.60 per month
Should You Leave A Lay Z Spa Running?
People often ask do you leave inflatable hot tubs on all the time and if is it more cost-effective than switching them off if you’re using it regularly, as it costs more to heat a hot tub than it does to maintain a set temperature.
Lay Z Spa has made this process even more energy efficient through their frost protection system, which maintains the water at 6 degrees Celsius, provided there is power to the pump!
Cheapest Way To Run A Lazy Spa
Lay Z Spa owners don’t need to rely only on the brand’s efficiency features to ensure their energy costs are cheaper; there are plenty of extra tricks that can cut your electricity bill and save money!
A big one is installing an insulated ground mat beneath your Lazy Spa, as this can improve the hot tub’s ability to stay warm, especially when used with the cover utilised overnight, you’ll find your automatically regulated heater engaging far less frequently!
Another tip to save money is to avoid filling your hot tub with cold water when it’s time for a water change! Not only will this speed up your waiting time before jumping back in, but it’ll also save you some money on your energy bill as your heater will need to do less work!
For more handy tips, check out our Lay Z Spa maintenance guides here.
FAQ’s
Running a hot tub in summer in the UK is undoubtedly cheaper. Although it will cost a little more to run your Lay Z Spa in the winter months, the brand’s automatically engaged anti-icing system will switch on and the insulated lining will help to keep the water warm without wasting too much energy.
If you’re seeing an average spend of £7-£10 per week during mild weather, we think it’s safe to estimate a spend of £10-£15 when the frost rolls in!
All 2021 Lay Z Spa models draw 2050w at 20 degrees Celsius, or 2.05 kWh.
All Lay Z Spa’s made after 2021 benefit from the same energy efficiency features making them cheaper to run, so only their size and number of jets will impact their running costs.
Final Thoughts
It turns out that Lay Z Spa hot tubs are pretty economical to run, especially compared to their closest rivals! We hope this guide helped answer your question on how much it costs to run a Lay-Z-Spa.
Running a Lay Z Spa is always going to be costly. Still, Lay Z Spa has managed to produce a range that minimises these costs very effectively thanks to an intelligent heating system, automatic frost protection, and insulating construction materials.
By making use of these features, and learning a few tips and tricks along the way, it’s more than possible to keep your running cost budget under £15 per week, which we think is definitely worth it for the many benefits of owning a Lay Z Spa hot tub can bring
