How much does it cost to run a sauna?

24 October 2024

Whether a once-a-month treat or a weekly habit, there’s nothing quite like stepping into a sauna and sweating all your stress away. And with at-home spa features becoming more and more popular in recent years, you no longer have to go to the local gym to get the sauna experience.

Indeed, while the price of at-home saunas in the past was relatively expensive, nowadays, installing your own indoor or outdoor sauna at home is more affordable than ever!

However, alongside the initial installation price of such a feature, you’ll also need to consider the associated cost of running a sauna, and whether or not this is something you can afford in your monthly energy budget.

So, to help you decide whether or not an at-home sauna is something you want to invest in, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about sauna running costs, including how to calculate them and how to reduce them.

How expensive are sauna running costs?

Given that other at-home spa features, such as hot tubs, can be somewhat expensive to run daily, you might expect the running cost of saunas to fall into a similar category. But it turns out that the opposite is true.

Due to the nature of how saunas operate, and the recommended duration you should use a sauna for before it becomes unhealthy, the average cost of running a sauna likely won’t significantly impact your monthly energy bill.

How much does a sauna cost to run in the UK?

Generally speaking, how much it costs to run a sauna will depend on several factors, such as sauna size and what sort of heating system you use. However, given that most modern saunas operate using an electric heating system, we can provide a rough calculation of what your sauna might cost to operate if you were to use it every day.

For example, if we assume that the average kWh price in the UK is around £0.22 (as of July 2024), and you were to run your sauna for one hour every day using a 6kW heater, this would equate to a cost of £1.32 per day, or about £40 per month.

Of course, this is just an estimation, and most at-home sauna users tend not to use their sauna every day or for a full hour. And if your sauna uses a different heating system, such as infrared or a wood-burning stove, then your sauna running costs could be even lower.

How much does it cost to run an infrared sauna?

Unlike a traditional or electric sauna, infrared saunas have a faster warm-up time, meaning they’re ready to use that much sooner. On top of this, because they’re using infrared lamps rather than heating stones on a hot plate, they tend to use less energy overall.

Most infrared saunas operate at a lower wattage overall, typically around 1.5kW. So, if you were to operate an infrared sauna for an hour, this would equate to a running cost of as low as £0.33 or just £10 a month!

How do you calculate the cost of running a sauna?

In order to calculate how much your desired sauna might cost to run, you first need to know the wattage of your heating system. This is not really possible with wood-burning saunas, but for electric and infrared systems, you should be able to find out what your heater’s wattage will be before installation.

From here, you then need to estimate how long you’ll be using your sauna for each day. Most sauna sessions tend to be no longer than 20 minutes, however, you will need to account for sauna warm-up time, meaning you’ll probably have your sauna active for at least 40 minutes to an hour per use.

Once you have both these units in hand, you simply need to multiply the average price of a kWh from your energy provider by your sauna’s wattage (for example, £0.22 x 6kWh for our electric sauna), and this will give you the cost for one hour of sauna use.

What is the average kWh usage of a Hekla Sauna?

Here at Hekla, our electric saunas specifically operate using 6.8kW and 9kW heaters. So, if we assume that your energy tariff price matches that of our previous example (£0.22), then a Helka sauna will cost you between £1.45 and 1.98 per hour.

What can impact the cost of running a sauna?

As you can see, the cost of running a sauna in your home is very affordable, especially if you opt for an infrared sauna. However, how much it may cost to run your sauna can be dependent on far more than your heater’s wattage.

Below are some of the main factors at hand that can impact how efficiently your sauna will be to run:

  • Your energy tariff – while the figures we provided earlier were based on average UK sauna costs, how much you pay to operate your sauna will be heavily dependent on your current energy provider’s tariff.
  • Your sauna’s size – it goes without saying that the bigger your sauna, the longer it’s going to take to heat, increasing the time you’ll be running your sauna for and therefore your energy bills.
  • Your sauna’s insulation – a high-quality sauna, such as those provided by Hekla, should be well insulated to prevent any heat from escaping during the warming process. If not, even a small sauna can take that much longer to heat, and your systems may have to work harder to maintain the temperature as you use it.
  • Your sauna’s heater – how powerful your sauna heater is will impact both how long your sauna takes to heat up and how much energy you use. A more powerful heater will warm a small sauna faster and vice versa, so make sure you have the right-sized heater for your space.
  • Your desired sauna temperature – naturally, how hot you want your sauna to be will determine how long you need to run it in order to get to that temperature. The higher the heat, the more it’s going to cost you.
  • Your sauna heating system – lastly, what type of heating system your sauna uses will have a major impact on your sauna running costs. As we mentioned earlier, infrared saunas tend to be the cheapest to run, while wood-burning stove saunas won’t use any electricity at all.

On top of all these, it’s also important to remember that you’ll need to pay for regular sauna maintenance sessions and cleaning products in order to keep your sauna functional, all of which can add to your overall bills at the end of the year.

How much does it cost to service a home sauna?

An essential part of sauna maintenance, the average sauna service in the UK will cost you between £50-£200, depending on how in-depth a service your sauna requires and how big your sauna is.

However, as this is only a once-a-year check, it should not impact your sauna running costs too much.

How to save on the cost of running a sauna

So, now that you know more about sauna running costs and what can impact them, is there anything you can do to help save money on your bills and make your sauna more cost-efficient?

Below are our top tips for reducing the cost of running your sauna:

  • Pick the right heater – as we’ve already mentioned, picking the right sized heater for your sauna is essential, otherwise, you may end up spending more money than expected trying to heat your sauna up to temperature.
  • Reduce the temperature – although an incredibly warm sauna can be great, higher heats cost more to maintain, and at the end of the day, a small temperature drop is not going to prevent you from benefiting from your sauna, but it will save you money.
  • Check your heater regularly – one of the best ways to ensure efficient sauna use is to regularly check your sauna for wear and tear. Catching any defects early will make them much easier and cheaper to fix, saving you more money in the long run.
  • Get in swiftly – if you can, it’s always a good idea to step into your sauna as soon as it reaches temperature. This means you won’t waste time heating your sauna while it’s not in use, and it also means you can turn your sauna off earlier in your session and use the ambient heat to finish your sweat. So, make sure you’re in your sauna wear and ready to go as it approaches the ideal temperature.
  • Have shorter sessions – while lengthy sauna sessions can feel fantastic, they’re not essential to get the most out of your sauna. A 20-minute session will be just as impactful as an hour-long sweat, and cost you less financially.

Find you sauna with Hekla

Hopefully, you should now have a much better idea of how much it costs to run a sauna at home, and what might impact such costs. We encourage you to do your own estimation of running costs before you pick your sauna and bear them in mind alongside initial installation costs.

Of course, if you’ve already settled on getting a sauna for your home, and you’re looking for one designed with quality in mind, then why not take a look at the saunas we have on offer at Hekla?

From traditional barrel saunas and cube saunas to infrared models, we’ve a range of options to suit all tastes. Get in touch today to find out more about our sauna designs and technology, and don’t forget to visit our sauna blog for more articles like this one.

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