Running cost comes down to wattage, hours and your rate. In New York the rate is 29.93 cents per kWh, which is 62.3 percent above the national average. Here is what that means for a hot tub.
A hot tub drawing 1,500 W costs $0.45 per hour in New York. Run 4 hours a day that is $1.80 daily, $53.87 a month and $655 a year, which is $252 more than the same appliance at the US average rate.
Hot tub cost at New York rates
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Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
Cost by hours used per day in New York
| Hours/day | Energy | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 1.50 kWh | $0.45 | $13.47 |
| 2 h | 3.00 kWh | $0.90 | $26.94 |
| 4 h | 6.00 kWh | $1.80 | $53.87 |
| 6 h | 9.00 kWh | $2.69 | $80.81 |
| 8 h | 12.00 kWh | $3.59 | $108 |
| 12 h | 18.00 kWh | $5.39 | $162 |
| 24 h | 36.00 kWh | $10.77 | $323 |
Cost by wattage at 29.93 cents
| Rated power | Per hour | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 W | $0.30 | $1.20 | $35.92 |
| 1,500 W | $0.45 | $1.80 | $53.87 |
| 3,000 W | $0.90 | $3.59 | $108 |
| 4,500 W | $1.35 | $5.39 | $162 |
| 6,000 W | $1.80 | $7.18 | $215 |
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 New York
This appliance runs on much the same schedule regardless of climate, so the figure above is a reasonable year-round estimate for New York. What changes it is your own usage pattern rather than the weather.
Why New York pays what it does
New York has a competitive retail electricity market, so the rate used here blends households on the utility default with households on shopped supply plans. If you have never switched supplier you are probably on the default, which is usually the more expensive side of that blend. Only the generation portion of your bill changes when you switch; delivery and outage response do not.
At 29.93 cents, New York ranks 49 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive. The Northeast regional average is 25.91 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:
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $22.23 | $270 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $23.33 | $284 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $53.87 | $655 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $59.85 | $728 |
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $93.60 | $1,139 |
Lowering the number in New York
- 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 New York
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 29.93 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.