How does a low energy, low cost infrared sauna compare with household appliances?

The question is, how much energy does a sauna use?

How much power does a Traditional Sauna use?

Traditional saunas vary greatly with variable factors such as size of the sauna cabin, temperature of the outer environment, and materials such as glass doors.  These are all considerations when choosing the kW of the heater.   A smaller cabin size will require 2.3 kW – 6kW, with larger models and designs needing a much higher output of typically 7 kW – 11 kW, or in a professional, commercial use environment as high as 33 kW.

 

How much power does an Infrared Sauna use?

Infrared sauna cabins are a Plug & Play 13AMP product which means it is perfect for home use and requires less energy to run.  The kW requirement to heat an infrared sauna cabin ranges from 1.4 kW to 2.8 kW dependant on the size.

 

How does the energy consumption of an Infrared Sauna Cabin compare with Household Appliances or Hot Tubs?

Comparison of average power rating of household appliances

We investigated the average power rating of household appliances and Hot Tubs to compare similar wattage to the SaunaMed Infrared Cabins

Appliance

(Average Power Rating) (1)

SaunaMed Infrared Cabins
Hot Tub 32AMP (3000 W)    4-5 Person Cabin (2800 W) 
Kettle (3000 W)
Tumble Dryer (2500 W)     3 Person Cabin (2100 W)
Electric Heater (2500 W)
Oven (2100 W)
Washing Machine (2100 W)
Hairdryer (2000 W)     2 Person Cabin (1750 W)
Hot Tub 13AMP (2000 W)
Hob (2000 W)
Grill (1500 W)     1 Person Cabin (1400 W)
Iron (1500 W)

 

Of course, there are other factors to consider such as length of time the product is typically used for, and some appliances use less energy once at the required temperature, including the infrared saunas.

 

Running cost of household appliances vs Infrared Sauna

For a more comparable overview, the table below shows household products with the same average power rating as the three-person infrared sauna and the current cost of running the appliance for 30 minutes.

Appliance

(Average Power Rating)

  SaunaMed Infared

Usage Cost (2)

(30 Minutes)

Oven (2100 W)

3 Person Cabin

(2100 W)

£0.36
Washing Machine (2100 W)


 

How much does it cost to run a sauna?

There are variable factors to consider as mentioned above, however, with the typical use and power required to run an infrared sauna cabin, the answer is less than you might think.  

 

 

References:

(1) Average Power Rating source reference https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/safety-around-the-home/home-appliances-ratings/   

(2) Calculated using electricity rate of 34p per kWh - energy price cap October 2022