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Hut Tub Covers, Is Yours Insulated Enough?

Hot tub covers can make the difference between a high electric bill and a low one. The largest portion of heat escapes your hot tub through the top, thus ensuring your heater has to work harder to keep the water at your preferred temperature. By choosing an insulated hot tub cover, you can help your heater be more efficient.

If your hut tub came with a cover as most portable ones do, don't assume it's a well-insulated one. Most hot tub covers are insulated with EPS or Expanded Polystyrene, so you probably don't need to check into the type of material used. The thickness of the EPS matters, though. As a consumer, you need to look at the R-value of the cover. The R-value refers to a material's ability to resist the flow of heat and is based on thickness. It can get pretty complicated, but basically you just need to know that the higher the R-value the better.

Standard hot tub covers run around R-value 12-15. I've seen advertisers promise in excess of R-value 20, but keep in mind there's no universal standard mandating the outside temperature used when testing R-value, and that does make quite a bit of difference as to the amount of heat loss. One dealer's R-20 might not be the same as another dealer's R-20.

After a certain point, you may find it more cost- and energy-efficient to add a floating blanket instead of a more expensive hot tub cover. An energy-efficient floating thermal blanket helps keep in heat plus it reduces the amount of moisture building up on the inside of the cover which can extend the life of your spa cover.

Keep in mind when you are buying higher R-value covers, due to an increased thickness, they become heavier to lift. If you are shopping for a cover for a large hot tub, you may want to grab a cover lifter at the same time.

Primary sources for article:
Pools & Spas
Hot Tub and Pool Conservation Tips

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