How much does it cost to run a hot tub per month in New Hampshire?

Most owners spend roughly $30 to $60 per month on electricity to run a modern, well insulated hot tub kept at a comfortable soaking temperature. Your exact number depends on your specific model, your electricity rate, the season, and how often you soak. Water care and occasional refills add a modest amount on top of that.

Is it cheaper to leave a hot tub on all the time or turn it off?

For regular use, it is almost always cheaper and easier to leave your hot tub on at a steady temperature. Heating a large volume of water from cold each time uses more energy than simply maintaining a set temperature. If you plan to be away for a week or more, lowering the temperature rather than shutting down completely is usually the smarter choice.

Do hot tubs use a lot of electricity in the winter?

Your heating costs will rise somewhat during New Hampshire's coldest months because the heater works harder to hold your temperature against freezing air. A well insulated spa with a quality cover keeps that seasonal increase reasonable, and winter is often when owners enjoy their hot tub the most.

How can I lower my hot tub operating costs?

The most effective steps are using a quality, well fitted cover, keeping your water at a sensible temperature, sheltering your spa from wind, and running filtration on an efficient schedule. Choosing an energy efficient model in the first place, such as a Bullfrog Spas hot tub with full foam insulation, sets you up for lower costs from day one.

Are Bullfrog Spas energy efficient?

Yes. Bullfrog Spas are engineered for efficiency with the EnduraFrame structure, full foam insulation, and a plumbing design that uses less internal plumbing than conventional spas, which reduces heat loss. These features help keep monthly operating costs manageable, even through a New Hampshire winter.

Does Abundant Life Stoves & Spas offer financing on hot tubs?

Yes. We offer financing on hot tubs and swim spas so you can choose the payment approach that fits your household. Financing is simply one option alongside paying in full, and our team is happy to walk you through what is available. Visit our Chichester showroom or contact us to learn more.

Hot Tub Cost to Run in New Hampshire - Abundant Life Stoves & Spas

Last Updated: August 5, 2026

Hot tub cost is one of the first things New Hampshire homeowners ask about, and for good reason. Our weather turns harsh for nearly six months of the year, with wind, extreme cold, and every kind of precipitation testing any spa left outdoors. The reassuring news is that a well built, well insulated hot tub runs efficiently even through that. For an average sized Bullfrog Spas® model, most owners can expect to add roughly $75 a month to their electric bill through a New Hampshire winter, with lighter costs in the warmer months.

At Abundant Life Stoves & Spas in Chichester, we have helped Granite State families choose and enjoy energy efficient hot tubs for years. This guide breaks down what really drives that monthly number, how spa insulation changes the math in our climate, and the simple habits that keep costs low all winter long.

What Goes Into the Cost of Running a Hot Tub?

Modern outdoor hot tub with the cover open, surrounded by water care supplies, a replacement filter, folded towels, and a cover cushion, illustrating the essential components of hot tub ownership, maintenance, and operating costs in a landscaped backyard.

Before you look at a single dollar figure, it helps to understand where the money actually goes. A hot tub is something you settle into after a long day, and the cost of that daily comfort comes down to a few main categories. Once you know what drives each one, the monthly total stops feeling like a mystery.

Electricity: the largest ongoing cost. Your hot tub uses power to heat the water, to hold it at your set temperature, and to run the pumps and filtration.
Water care: sanitizer, balancing products, and the occasional filter cleaner. Modern systems keep this modest.
Maintenance: filters and covers wear over time and get replaced periodically.

Above all, your energy use is driven by how much you use the spa. The more often the cover is open and the pumps are running, the more energy the spa draws, so your habits matter as much as the equipment.

What You Can Expect to Pay Each Month in New Hampshire

New Hampshire electricity rates run higher than the national average, so the real question is what winter heating adds to your bill. For an average sized Bullfrog Spa, such as the A7 or X7 models that measure roughly 7 feet 4 inches square, we expect around $75 a month added to your electric costs through a New Hampshire winter, based on normal soaks of 20 to 30 minutes. That figure reflects electricity only, and water care and refills add a small amount on top.

Warmer months cost less, since the spa works less hard to hold your temperature, and your own usage moves the number up or down. How often you soak, the temperature you keep, the quality of your cover, and how sheltered your spa is from the wind all shape the final total. But the single biggest factor in our climate is how well your spa is insulated.

How Spa Insulation Affects Your Winter Costs

A well-insulated Bullfrog Spa hot tub with the cover partially open steams on a snowy New Hampshire patio beside a modern home, highlighting efficient heat retention and winter-ready performance in a forest setting.

Here is how a typical year of ownership tends to break down for a modern hot tub in our area. The figures below are estimates to Not every hot tub is built to handle a New Hampshire winter, even if it sounds convincing in the showroom. How a spa is insulated determines how much heat it loses overnight, and that heat loss is exactly what shows up on your electric bill. Generally, you will find three approaches.

Open air tubs are not fully filled with insulation under the cabinet. Heat from the pumps gets trapped in an air pocket between the shell insulation and the cabinet, warming that space when the pumps run. It works to a point, but it relies on the pumps running and loses heat faster in extreme cold.
Closed cell full foam is a harder foam that completely fills the equipment bay, similar to the rigid foam used around windows and doors in home construction.
Open cell full foam is a softer, fluffier foam that also fills the bay and traps heat very effectively, even in cold winter conditions.

Insulation Type	How It Works	Cold Weather Performance
Open air or partial fill	Relies on a warm air pocket heated by the pumps under the cabinet	Works in mild conditions, loses heat faster in extreme cold
Closed cell full foam	Rigid foam completely fills the equipment bay	Strong heat retention, firm and dense
Open cell full foam (used in Bullfrog Spas)	Soft, fluffy foam fills the bay and traps heat	Excellent heat retention through New Hampshire winters

Every Bullfrog Spa we carry uses open cell full foam for exactly this reason. The fluffy foam traps as much heat under the spa as possible, so your heater runs less and your winter costs stay reasonable. You can see how these spas are engineered to save energy on our Bullfrog Spas energy savings page.

Want a Hot Tub That Keeps Monthly Costs Low?

Visit our Chichester showroom and our team will show you which energy efficient Bullfrog Spas models fit your space and your budget. No pressure, just honest answers from New Hampshire's largest hot tub and hearth dealer since 1972.

Visit our Chichester showroom

You Do Not Need to Keep Turning Your Spa Down

A common worry is that a hot tub runs its heater constantly all winter, quietly draining your wallet. That is not how a well insulated spa behaves. Your Bullfrog Spa heats the water up to your set temperature and then shuts the heater off, so it is not wasting energy holding a low simmer. Because the spa loses heat so slowly, you will usually find the water within 1 degree of your setpoint, and in standard mode the heater only kicks back on once the temperature has dropped 2 degrees.

This is why we recommend setting your spa to a comfortable temperature for the season and simply leaving it there. Most spas offer a vacation or economy mode, but for a well insulated spa like a Bullfrog, turning the temperature down for a week of no use saves only a little while the water cools, and you give most of that back reheating it when you return. Set it and enjoy it.

How to Lower Your Hot Tub Running Costs

The good news is that keeping your hot tub affordable to run is mostly about a few simple habits. Owners who follow these consistently see lower monthly bills without giving up any comfort.

Vertical collage showing four practical ways to lower hot tub running costs: a well-fitted insulated spa cover, a clean filter and efficient control panel, balanced water care supplies with fresh towels, and a well-insulated Bullfrog Spa protected from winter wind by a privacy screen in a snowy backyard.

Invest in a quality cover and replace it once it gets waterlogged. A good cover is the single biggest thing you can do to cut heat loss.
Use your cover every time. Even a short soak followed by an open cover lets warmth escape quickly.
Choose a well insulated spa. Open cell full foam insulation, like the kind in every Bullfrog Spa, holds your temperature with far less effort through the winter.
Run filtration on an efficient schedule rather than around the clock.
Stay on top of water care. Balanced water and clean filters let your pumps and heater run efficiently instead of straining, and they prevent scale buildup on the heater that quietly drives up energy use. Keeping the right hot tub chemicals and supplies on hand makes it easy to stay ahead of it.
Shelter your spa from wind with fencing, landscaping, or placement against the house, since wind pulls heat away fast.
Set your temperature for the season and leave it there. For a well insulated spa, maintaining your setpoint is more efficient than turning it down and reheating.

Does Winter Drive Up Hot Tub Costs in New Hampshire?

A couple relaxes in a steaming Bullfrog Spa hot tub on a snowy New Hampshire evening, enjoying a warm hydrotherapy soak beside a cozy mountain home with winter trees and rolling hills in the background.

New Hampshire winters are the real test for any hot tub, and it is fair to expect your heating costs to climb during the coldest stretches. For an average sized, well insulated Bullfrog Spa, that winter cost lands around $75 a month, and it eases as the weather warms.

The reassuring part is that a well insulated spa handles our winters far better than most people assume. In fact, a cold winter evening is when a hot tub earns its keep, offering a warm, therapeutic soak while snow falls around you. Many New Hampshire owners tell us the winter months are their favorite time to use their spa, and the modest, predictable increase in their bill is well worth it.

Explore Energy Efficient Hot Tubs at Abundant Life Stoves & Spas

If low operating costs are a priority, the model you choose makes all the difference. Our Chichester showroom displays the full Bullfrog Spas lineup, including the A Series, X Series, M Series, and STIL collections, so you can compare insulation, seating, and features in person. Our team can walk you through which models are the most efficient to run in a New Hampshire climate and help you match one to your space and your goals.

How Much Does it Cost to Run a Hot Tub in New Hampshire?

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hot Tub in New Hampshire?

What Goes Into the Cost of Running a Hot Tub?

What You Can Expect to Pay Each Month in New Hampshire

How Spa Insulation Affects Your Winter Costs

Want a Hot Tub That Keeps Monthly Costs Low?

You Do Not Need to Keep Turning Your Spa Down

How to Lower Your Hot Tub Running Costs

Does Winter Drive Up Hot Tub Costs in New Hampshire?

Explore Energy Efficient Hot Tubs at Abundant Life Stoves & Spas

Bullfrog Spas Model A5D

Bullfrog Spas Model X5L

Calm 7

Bullfrog Spas Model A8 Special Edition

Bullfrog Spas Model A7 Special Edition

Calm 7L

Bullfrog Spas Model X7

Bullfrog Spas Model A7

Bullfrog Spas Model X6R

Calm 6

Bullfrog Spas Model S200 Swim Spa Swim Series™

Bullfrog Spas Model A6

Bullfrog Spas STIL7

Bullfrog Spas Model A9L

Bullfrog Spas Model S150 Swim Spa Swim Series™

Find the Right Hot Tub for Your New Hampshire Home

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