Running cost comes down to wattage, hours and your rate. In Pennsylvania the rate is 21.55 cents per kWh, which is 16.9 percent above the national average. Here is what that means for a hot tub.
A hot tub drawing 1,500 W costs $0.32 per hour in Pennsylvania. Run 4 hours a day that is $1.29 daily, $38.79 a month and $472 a year, which is $68.11 more than the same appliance at the US average rate.
Hot tub cost at Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
| Hours/day | Energy | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 1.50 kWh | $0.32 | $9.70 |
| 2 h | 3.00 kWh | $0.65 | $19.40 |
| 4 h | 6.00 kWh | $1.29 | $38.79 |
| 6 h | 9.00 kWh | $1.94 | $58.19 |
| 8 h | 12.00 kWh | $2.59 | $77.58 |
| 12 h | 18.00 kWh | $3.88 | $116 |
| 24 h | 36.00 kWh | $7.76 | $233 |
Cost by wattage at 21.55 cents
| Rated power | Per hour | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 W | $0.22 | $0.86 | $25.86 |
| 1,500 W | $0.32 | $1.29 | $38.79 |
| 3,000 W | $0.65 | $2.59 | $77.58 |
| 4,500 W | $0.97 | $3.88 | $116 |
| 6,000 W | $1.29 | $5.17 | $155 |
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 Pennsylvania
This appliance runs on much the same schedule regardless of climate, so the figure above is a reasonable year-round estimate for Pennsylvania. What changes it is your own usage pattern rather than the weather.
Why Pennsylvania pays what it does
Pennsylvania 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 21.55 cents, Pennsylvania ranks 36 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 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $38.79 | $472 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $59.85 | $728 |
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $93.60 | $1,139 |
Lowering the number in Pennsylvania
- 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 Pennsylvania
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 21.55 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.