Cost to Run a Hot tub in Alaska

Running cost comes down to wattage, hours and your rate. In Alaska the rate is 28.23 cents per kWh, which is 53.1 percent above the national average. Here is what that means for a hot tub.

[hed_calc appliance=”hot-tub” rate=”0.2823″ title=”Hot tub cost at Alaska rates”]

Cost by hours used per day in Alaska

Cost by wattage at 28.23 cents

Find the row matching the nameplate on your own unit. Within a single appliance category the spread is often wider than the difference between categories, so the label is worth reading.

What this means in Alaska

This appliance runs on much the same schedule regardless of climate, so the figure above is a reasonable year-round estimate for Alaska. What changes it is your own usage pattern rather than the weather.

Why Alaska pays what it does

Alaska is a regulated market, so your utility is the only supplier and the rate is set through the state commission rather than by competition. Pricing tends to be steadier than in deregulated states, and there is no switching decision available. The levers are all on your side of the meter.

At 28.23 cents, Alaska ranks 45 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive. The West regional average is 19.65 cents. Roughly half of any residential bill is transmission and distribution rather than generation, which is why rates keep climbing even when fuel prices fall.

How this compares across the country

The same hot tub on the same schedule, in the cheapest and dearest states:

Lowering the number in Alaska

• Replace a waterlogged cover. A saturated cover conducts heat instead of blocking it, around the clock.
• Drop the setpoint a few degrees. Every degree reduces the gradient the heater fights.
• Use economy or sleep mode between uses. Cheaper than holding full temperature, without the long reheat of switching off.
• Shelter it from wind. An exposed tub loses heat far faster.
• Do not switch it off between weekly uses. Reheating from cold costs more than holding temperature.

Offsetting it with solar in Alaska

This load uses about 6.00 kWh a day. Covering that would take roughly 5 standard 400 W panels at typical sun hours, an array of about 2.00 kW. Because it offsets electricity worth 28.23 cents rather than the national 18.44 cents, the same array is worth more here than the national payback figures suggest.

The heater runs on its own schedule including overnight, which makes this a storage problem rather than a panel problem. Full sizing, including battery and inverter requirements, is on the solar sizing page for this appliance.

Questions people actually ask

[hed_faq]How much does it cost to run a hot tub in Alaska?About $0.42 per hour and $50.81 a month at 4 hours a day, using the Alaska average rate of 28.23 cents per kWh.How many watts does a hot tub use?Around 1,500 W while running, with a range of roughly 1,000 to 6,000 W depending on model and setting.Is that expensive for Alaska?Alaska electricity runs 53.1 percent above the national average, so this appliance costs $214 more per year here than it would at the US average rate.Can I lower this without replacing the appliance?Usually yes. Run time is the variable you control, and the hours table above shows exactly what each hour costs. Since Alaska is regulated, shopping for a supplier is not an option, so usage is the lever.[/hed_faq]

Related

• Alaska electricity rates and every appliance
• Hot tub running cost in detail
• Solar panels needed to run it
• Cost to run any appliance in any state
• Electricity Cost Calculator