With the increase in energy prices here in the UK, there are many easy ways you can reduce your swim spa running costs. From choosing the right place to position your swim spa, to keeping on top of chemicals to cleaning your swim spa‘s filters regularly. Here at Penguin Spas and the team from SPATECUK, we have collectively put together 10 simple ways to manage your swim spa running costs.
1. Set up a windbreaker around your swim spa
Is your swim spa in a windy area? You can put a windbreaker around it. Get creative with your windbreaker! You can use fencing material, trees, bushes, or anything you find. Without the wind blowing through your spa, you’ll save money on heating bills. Want to go green? Consider installing air source heat pumps (see below).
2. Lower your swim spa’s water temperature
Want an easy way to save 5-10% on your swim spa’s heating bill? Lower the thermostat’s temperature by just one degree. You won’t want to constantly lower and raise your temperature. That will cause your energy bill to hike from the abundant heating and cooling cycle.
Try lowering the temperature by one degree (or even two) and see how comfortable you are. If you don’t notice a change, make the lower temperature your regular setting. Are you going away on holiday for 2 weeks or more you can lower your water temperature even more?
Note: The ideal swim spa temperature is somewhere between 25 and 28 °C on average. This is approximately 10 °C cooler than the average body temperature.
3. Check your swim spas filtration cycle times
Swim Spa filters are important at keeping the water clean and safe for both bathers and swimmers by reducing the build-up of potentially harmful bacteria and preventing dirt and debris from getting into the working parts of the system, however by setting your filtration cycles to lower settings due to limited usage or by only allowing them on during off-peak energy times you will save a lot of your energy costs.
Here are some starter guidelines based on usage:
A couple, occasional use: 2-hour cycle, twice per day
Small family, or couple who swim regularly: 3 or 4-hour cycle, twice per day
Large family, frequent use, especially by kids: 6 or 8-hour cycle, twice per day
Many manufacturers recommend 8 or 12-hour cycles, but most swim spa owners I know find that to be unnecessary. Personally, my swim spa (used by two people) is just fine with 2-hour cycles running twice per day.
4. Swim spa cover
Keep your cover tightly fitted when not using your swim spa. A common mistake many people make is forgetting to use the locking straps. Most swim spa covers today include locking straps to ensure a tight fit. The tighter the fit, the less chance heat can escape.
Does your cover need to be replaced? Covers are filled with foam to help trap heat. Since air is a good insulator, the foam’s air bubbles trap heat and save you money on your energy bill.
Eventually, a swim spa cover begins to take in water. Once the foam insulation is wet, its insulation efficiency drops quite a bit. You can tell by lifting your cover if it has taken in water. You will notice how heavy the cover is getting. Once that happens, invest in a new one.
Note: When buying a new swim spa, some dealers are no offering to include a reflecting cover protector, this cover also helps in heat retention.
5. Buy a chemical and filter bundle
To keep your hot tub in great condition chemicals and regular filter changes are an absolute must! Chemical maintenance of a swim spa is actually really easy once you get the hang of it and it's best to always have the chemicals you need. Thanks to our Bundles, getting chemicals and multipacks of filters is cheaper than you might think!
6. Clean and rotate your filters
Nothing is more important for swim spa water quality than your filtering system. Not cleaning your filters can result in a build‑up of debris which can result in poor water flow. The pump will therefore have to work twice as hard to filtrate the water, which may cause increased energy usage. Clean your filters often and replace them every 1 to 2 years as needed.
Note: We Recommend the filter rotation method– while cleaning your dirty filter, swap it with a clean dry spare. With this system you’ll never have to wait to use your swim spa, and your filters will last longer. Allowing filters to dry completely after cleaning will help destroy any resident microorganisms.
7. Make use of your Eco saving mode
If you don’t use your swim spa regularly, the Eco saving mode is great for keeping your swim spa running costs to a minimum.
The Eco saving mode prevents any unnecessary use of power. It allows you to set the time and duration of the heating cycle so that you can enjoy your hot tub at a time of your choosing without having to always leave your swim spa heater on.
Top tip: Swim Spas with Wi-Fi connection and monitoring will allow you to monitor your swim spa usage via the manufacturers app. This gives you the freedom of being able to set your temperature even if you're not home. Again, this means you don't have to leave your heater on all the time.
8. Fill with warm water
A simple but effective way to save money when filing your swim spa is to use water from the hot tap mixed with cold. It is usually cheaper to start your swim spa with warm water (ensure the water is no hotter than 40°C and that you have added a thin layer of cold water to the swim spa first) rather than filling the swim spa with cold water and waiting for the spa to heat up itself.
Note: If you don’t require your swim spa to be as full as possible then consider filling it up to the minimum line. This will save on both the initial water cost as well as the continuous cost of heating the spa water.
9. Monitor your energy provider
If you find you have taken appropriate measures to place your swim spa in a sheltered location, are on top care and maintenance and followed other steps to keep energy consumption low but your energy bills are still high ‑ You can find advice on the Ofgem website by clicking here
10. Air source heat pump
In nearly all cases, a heat pump is the best way to heat an outdoor swim spa. The heating efficiency, cost benefit and environmental impact of modern air source heat pumps is such that not only can they be installed on virtually all new swim spas, but many people with existing swim spas are also installing heat pumps with the expectation of a very short payback time.
With a good and correctly sized air source heat pump, the typical saving on annual heating costs for an outdoor swim spa used from April to October is between 30% and 50%, in many cases more.
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About Penguin Spas Premium Outdoor Living
Here at Penguin Spa Premium Outdoor Living, we are passionate about delivering the best quality hot tubs, best quality swim spas, best in energy efficiency, great value for money, and unbeatable customer service. Our friendly team is here to help you choose the right hot tub or swim spa for your needs and your budget.
Our new Scottish outdoor living showroom is an oasis of calm, showcasing a large selection of multiple award-winning hot tubs and accessories we have to offer. Based in Yieldshields, near Carluke – right in the central belt of Scotland – we are within easy reach of the M74 & M8 motorway network and less than 35-minute drive to the city of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Since 2012, Penguin Spas Outdoor Living have been devoted at creating and supplying elaborate products which are all designed to help improve people’s health, wellbeing, wellness, and happiness.
All our premium products are carefully designed and manufactured, and we strive to constantly improve ourselves and the products we deliver. We embrace new technologies and understand the importance of delivering reliable and durable products which help to improve our customers lives.
Do you want to know more about our range of multiple award-winning, energy efficient hot tubs available here in Scotland?
Here at Penguin Spas, we are proud to be the only official Scottish dealer of award-winning, energy efficiency gold standard hot tubs and swim spas from UK designed Sunbeach Spas and the world’s premier spa brand Oasis Spas
Both manufacturers of the Sunbeach Spas and the Oasis Spas have created a complete insulation energy saving system that reduces energy consumption to save you money. You can have peace of mind that your hot tub or swim spa will be hot and ready for you, without costly energy bills.
Sunbeach Swim Spas are leading the hot tub and swim spa industry with cutting edge technology. The multiple award-winning Sunbeach Spas with R10 insulation are all designed here in the UK and are manufactured with the newest industry features which the company consistently pushes the industry forward with innovative designs and features.
Oasis Swim Spas are built by one of the world’s largest international hot tub and swim spa manufacturers who distribute products in 40 countries around the world. Oasis Spas are built to last with premium components and the thickest shells on the market. The Power Saver Technology and R18 multi-layer insulation system will save you thousands over the life of your hot tub or swim spa and the Easy-Care Technology makes maintenance simple.
Marathon Fitness Treadmill Pools allows users to achieve immediate rehabilitation results in water, even when it's too painful to exercise on dry land. Plus you can start earlier so you can get back to your normal life sooner. It's a safe, beneficial option for people with arthritis and other joint disorders; muscular dystrophy; muscle atrophy; and lower-extremity injuries. Walk, jog, or run on our Underwater Treadmill, and you'll burn as many calories as on a dry-land treadmill.
Wood Fired Hot Tubs
We know a lot of thought and research goes into buying a hot tub and if you have not already seen a wood fired hot tub, we would strongly encourage you to come to our new outdoor living showroom where you can view the 2020 European Product Design Award Hot Tub from Tubmarine and a range of Gardenvity wood-fired hot tubs on display.
Tubmarine: Since 2013,Tubmarine founder Chris Galley has worked with the engineers and suppliers throughout the UK and Europe to arrive at the new hot tub design. The end result is a hot tub that requires absolutely no electricity, heats up in less than two hours and is easy to maintain.
Gardenvity: Here at Penguin Spas, we are proud of our continuous business partnership with Gardenvity at providing UK and Ireland logistics of the safe installation of Gardenvity Luxury Wood-Fired Hot Tubs, along with technical advice and support to customers.
Outdoor Living Premium Range
As our company has grown so has our passion to create amazing outdoor spaces. Whatever style garden you have, large or small, you want it to be a place that you can relax in, and escape to. As well as the obvious perks of getting more fresh air and sunlight, there are lots of other benefits of an ideal outdoor living spaces.
Creating an outdoor living space will provide an additional space in your home to relax and unwind. Expand the space that you already have available to you. A casual living space in the garden is also the perfect place to entertain guests, to provide seating, and mingling space to enjoy evening drinks or a BBQ. Create a functional and enjoyable area for you and your family to use in the garden, whatever the weather.
BaltoScandia is a family-owned company founded with a clear objective: to create and design a premium line of Scandinavian designed outdoor living products like no other. There collection of premium Scandinavian designed cosy BBQ huts, grill cabins, glamping pods, glamping cubes, sauna cabins, sauna barrels and hot tub enclosures are all designed for private, and business uses.
Alfa Forni Pizza Ovens - Everybody Loves Restaurant Quality Pizza. Now You Can Enjoy it at Home with an Alfa Oven! Turning a traditional tool like an oven into a designer object acclaimed all over the world as a standard-bearer for “Made in Italy” and high-quality has always been the mission of the Alfa family. That is why Alfa ovens are conceived and designed as professional ovens that guarantee excellent results in baking pizza, bread and then some combined with unparalleled ease of use and maintenance.
The story of RB73 is a story of passion for fire. But also of beautiful and timeless products. Handmade by professionals with love for the product. Enjoy beautiful moments, enjoy staying outside! Think of warm summer evenings, but also throughout the rest of the year there are often beautiful days when an outdoor fireplace can be used to give that wonderful extra warmth and atmosphere on your terrace. The fires have glass fronted doors so you do not suffer from smoke, ash or sparks on the terrace.
Contact Us
Address: Thornhome House, Yieldshields, Carluke, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML8 4QD
Telephone: 0800 112 3886 or 01555 729 607
Email: office@penguinspas.com
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