At Hydropool, we receive numerous queries at our retail outlets about swim spa maintenance costs across the UK. Given the state of the world today, we know ongoing operating costs are one of the major questions people have when considering this purchase.
So, what does it really cost to own a swim spa each month in the UK? In 2024, we estimate the monthly cost to be about £180 a month, or roughly £6 a day.
The main three costs, on average, are:
- Power costs around £150 a month
- Chemicals, for sanitization, at just under £30 a month.
- Water at £3 a month (based on one refill a year)
We will explain how we got to all these figures in the article below, but if you want a quick snapshot of costs, there you go!
A couple of key points:
- This estimate encompasses all costs, including various factors such as chemicals, water expenses, heating and energy usage. It’s a complete cost, counting everything we could, so you could get a full, complete picture of what the costs to own a swim spa actually entail.
- This is an average. Your own particular situation won’t likely match this perfectly.
- Due to power costs affecting the daily cost so much, the cost will fluctuate during the year, going down in the summer and up in the winter.
Let’s delve deeper into the breakdown to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of ongoing swim spa costs. In this article, we will cover:
- How much power does a swim spa consume?
- What are average power costs per month for a swim spa?
- How much are water sanitization costs for a swim spa?
- How much is the annual water replacement cost of a swim spa?
- What are repair costs for swim spas?
Hopefully, by the end you’ll have a solid understanding of the numbers, and you’ll know have a stronger sense of whether or not a swim spa is right for you.
How much power does a swim spa consume?
Our best estimate is to say that a good, energy-efficient mid-range swim spa will consume around 6,000 KWh a month, if it’s used about an hour a day.
Again, this is an estimate. There is no easy way to answer this question due to the high number of factors involved.
What are the power costs per month for a swim spa in the UK?
Local costs for power fluctuate greatly across the UK. Right now, power costs play a major role in determining the overall monthly costs of your swim spa.
A swimspa should be on average £150 a month to run. Keep in mind this is an average. We based this on 30p, per KW, per hour).
There are many factors at play here along with your power costs. What kind of swim spa you buy plays a big role here, with the size, type of heating, water filtration, insulation and jets you have affecting your energy consumption. There are also other factors, which we will cover next.
What affects swim spa running costs per month in the UK?
The biggest element that affects your swim spa, after the cost of power, is how much you like using it! This is logical: It’s because your swim spa is using the most power when you have the swim jets on and the cover off.
Other elements include:
- Location and Climate: In general, the colder it is, the more it costs (Hydropool swim spas are built in Canada, so they are built for cold weather).
- Construction and Insulation: Well-insulated swim spas are energy-efficient.
- Usage Duration: Just like anything plugged-in, more usage translates to higher costs.
- Temperature Management: Adjusting heat up or down affects expenses accordingly. Fluctuations in your temperature can become your largest contributor to energy costs.
- Cover Usage: A good-quality cover saves energy by retaining heat.
- Swim Spa Size and Accessories: Larger spas and power accessories increase costs. You need enough power to run your swim spa properly, but not so much you’re paying for extra power that just costs you more money.
- Local Electricity Rates: Varied rates influence your monthly payments.
Does a heat pump help lower swim spa costs?
Adding a heat pump is the best way to lower the monthly cost. If you add a heat pump, the overall cost shrinks to about £3 a day most of the year and about £7 pounds in the winter.
A heat pump costs about £2000-£3000, including installation. That means the savings it generates will make it pay for itself in about three years of ownership. Anything after that time period and you’re saving money on power costs in the long-term.
What are the costs of cleaning water in a swim spa in the UK?
Maintaining water quality is vital. Regular testing with testing kits and chemical additions, like chlorine or bromine, are necessary.
Testing kits are usually around £9-12 (AquaChek is a common brand).
In total, chemical and testing costs typically cost just under £30 monthly. They will depend on multiple factors: the spa size and usage (for example, if you’re having frequent parties, you will need more cleaning, if you shower before getting in your swim spa, you will pay less).
To reduce chemical usage, consider swim spas with an AOP system (it stands for Advanced Oxidization Process) like our Pure Water AOP system at Hydropool. These methods clean water in a similar way to how your drinking water is cleaned and help reduce your chemical costs as a result.
What are the monthly water costs in a swim spa in the UK?
Water costs will cost you about £35 a year with your swim spa. We based this on a 10,000 litre refill.
We recommend you refill your Hydropool swim spa once a year. We can recommend this because our swim spas come with our patented self-cleaning system as well as a standard AOP system. The AOP system cleans your water in a similar way to how drinking water is cleaned, using a combination of UV light and ozone.
Some spa companies have this as an option, others don’t have it at all. Having it will play a role in how often you need to drain and refill your swim spa.
The cost of water varies based on location and local rates and is another issue you’d want to talk to a local retailer about.
What’s the average repair cost for swim spas in the UK?
Swim spas, like any machine with moving parts, may experience issues while you own them. Common problems over time include pump failures, water leaks, and electrical glitches.
The most common issues:
- pump and heater failures, which can happen 5 to 10 years after purchase.
- From what we generally see, most of what happens outside of that happens early, right at delivery (because something came loose in shipping). Or we see some repairs 10 years later when the swim spa will need some TLC due to it getting up in years.
- Repairs also depend on how a swim spa is treated. Regular maintenance plays a major role in ensuring your swim spa lasts.
Repair costs depend on the problem’s severity, parts, and labor.
Repair rates usually hover around £100 to £120 per hour, contingent on your location and warranty coverage.
If you buy a quality brand, you shouldn’t have to factor in annual repair costs for a swim spa, as most decent brands last for years without major issues. In our experience, quality swim spas that are well-maintained regularly last 15 years or more.
How much does a swim spa cost per month in the UK?
There’s a price you pay to have your swim spa placed in your garden, and there’s the price you pay to keep it running there so you can use it year-round. These are the two major lines of queries we get on our swim spas.
At Hydropool, we want people to understand the full range of costs before they buy. Our industry isn’t always forthright about costs, with many manufacturers not eve publishing the pricing of their products (Hydropool publishes the prices of every hot tub and swim spa it sells on its website).
We want people to know what they are buying, how much it costs, and how much it will cost them. That’s we wrote this article, so you could have a complete sense of the expected costs coming your way if you bought a swim spa.
On average, in 2024 in the UK, you can expect to spend just over £180 monthly for your swim spa.