How Much Does It Cost to Run a Cold Plunge?
By Evan Reid, with research from the HPG Research Team · Updated Oct. 17, 2026
Each month the electric bill carries the chiller's share of the cost to run a cold plunge, for cold water on your own schedule. At the July 2026 U.S. average of 18.31 cents per kWh, the published wattages cost about $15 to $51 a month in electricity at 8 hours a day, or $73 on Finnmark's higher figure.
Start with Renu's Cold Stoic 3.0: Renu publishes the fullest power table we found, and 518 W cooling is about $22.76 a month at July 2026 prices. Its chiller is covered for 1 year under a "5-Year Limited Warranty", so price the extension.
No maker publishes its chiller's running hours. The Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro is rated at 1,200 W in Sun Home's manual, updated in October 2026, but Sun Home's energy figures sit about ten times apart: ask how long it runs.
In September 2026, we read what 10 cold plunge makers publish about power and running costs.
The short answer:
- The running hours decide your bill more than anything else. The worst case, a chiller running nonstop at full power, is about $46 to $158 a month at the July 2026 average, or $217.52 on Finnmark's higher figure, so treat it as a ceiling.
- Water is usually the smallest cost, under $60 a year for most tubs at EPA's national average rates. Sun Home's Pro manual, updated in October 2026, moved the Pro from two changes a week, $262.55 a year, to monthly, $30.29.
- Filters and sanitizer run from about $49 a year to several hundred dollars, depending on the brand's filter price and how often it tells you to change them. Price a year of filters with the tub.
The formula: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours a day × 30 × your price per kWh = your monthly electricity cost. Every electricity cost we calculated below comes from it, so you can redo any of them at your own rate.
Below: what each tub costs to run, then what to confirm with each maker, then our three picks.
How much electricity does a cold plunge use?
It depends on the chiller's input power and how long it runs. Only four makers we checked publish a figure you can do math with: Renu, Sun Home, Finnmark and Redwood Outdoors.
Find your model in the first column; the second column is the input figure the formula needs.
| Model | Published power figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Renu Cold Stoic 2.0 / Siberian Pro | "350-500 watts" (cooling only) | Renu specifications page |
| Renu Cold Stoic 3.0 / Aurelius | "518 watts at 6.1 amps" cooling, "1013 watts at 8.6 amps" heating | Renu specifications page |
| Renu Vero | "580 watts" cooling, "1100 watts" heating | Renu specifications page |
| Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro | "Rated Power 1,200 W" (the Information page still says "Input power: 1150W") | Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro Owner's Manual, updated October 2026; Information page |
| Finnmark SoulCold | "1650 watts" on Finnmark's web page; "Input Power (Cooling) 1.06 kW" in its manual | Finnmark product page and installation manual |
| Redwood Outdoors Deluxe Dual Heater + Chiller | "approximately 1kWh if run continuously for 60 minutes" | Redwood chiller FAQ |
Neither of Redwood's standalone chillers appears in its online store now, so they may be discontinued models. One is the Deluxe, which has the kWh figure; the other is the standard Cold Plunge Chiller, which Redwood puts at "~¢10 per hour". If a Redwood tub is on your list, ask which chiller ships with it before you use either figure.
Plunge (every model), Polar Monkeys, BlueCube, Ice Barrel and Nordic Wave publish a horsepower, BTU or amp rating instead, and Morozko lists only a "110V power cord".
Horsepower won't tell you what you'll pay. Sun Home's Cold Plunge Pro Information page lists "Input power: 1150W", "Compressor power: 900W CE" and "Cooling capacity: 2600W" for one chiller, while its September 2026 spec sheet calls the chiller "1 HP" and gives no wattage. Sun Home's manual, updated in October 2026, gives "Rated Power 1,200 W." Finnmark's manual lists "Input Power (Cooling) 1.06 kW" against "Cooling Capacity 4.45 kW".
The electric bill follows input power, and a 1 HP label doesn't tell you what that is. Cooling capacity is the bigger number on both documents, so keep it out of the formula.
Amps give you a ceiling. Volts times amps overstates real power use. Renu's own figures show the gap: 6.1 amps at 120 volts would be 732 watts, but Renu lists that mode at 518 watts. So if a maker lists only amps, treat volts times amps as the most the chiller could draw, and ask for the input watts before you budget.
Checkpoint: the wattage. To estimate the bill before you buy, shortlist the tubs whose makers publish an input figure. That's Renu's Cold Stoic, Siberian Pro and Vero, the Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro (1,200 W in its manual, updated in October 2026) and the Finnmark SoulCold. Any other tub joins them once its maker gives you the chiller's input watts in writing.
How much does it cost to run a cold plunge chiller per month?
At 8 hours a day and July 2026 prices, the published wattages cost about $15 to $73 a month. Each one is priced at 18.31 cents per kWh, the U.S. residential average for July 2026 from the EIA's Electric Power Monthly. We used 30-day months, and because no maker publishes a runtime, we show three running times plus nonstop as a ceiling.
Find your model's row and read across to the hours you expect it to run: 8 hours is our middle case, so check the 12-hour and nonstop columns too.
| Model (published figure) | 4 hours a day | 8 hours a day | 12 hours a day | Nonstop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renu Cold Stoic 2.0, low (350 W) | $7.69 | $15.38 | $23.07 | $46.14 |
| Renu Cold Stoic 2.0, high (500 W) | $10.99 | $21.97 | $32.96 | $65.92 |
| Renu Cold Stoic 3.0, cooling (518 W) | $11.38 | $22.76 | $34.14 | $68.29 |
| Renu Vero, cooling (580 W) | $12.74 | $25.49 | $38.23 | $76.46 |
| Redwood Deluxe (about 1,000 W) | $21.97 | $43.94 | $65.92 | $131.83 |
| Finnmark SoulCold, manual (1,060 W) | $23.29 | $46.58 | $69.87 | $139.74 |
| Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro (1,200 W) | $26.37 | $52.73 | $79.10 | $158.20 |
| Finnmark SoulCold, web page (1,650 W) | $36.25 | $72.51 | $108.76 | $217.52 |
A properly sized chiller under a closed insulated cover shouldn't run nonstop. The last column shows the most a given figure could cost.
Pumps, ozone generators, UV lamps and lights aren't included, because only Finnmark publishes one of those loads in watts (an "88w" circulation pump). Heating modes cost more: Renu's Cold Stoic 3.0 heating figure (1,013 W) is about $44.52 a month at 8 hours a day and July 2026 prices, so budget a heating mode on its own line.
If the tub stays out all winter, our guide to leaving a cold plunge outside in winter lists the makers' cold-weather lines and which ones want it plugged in around the clock.
Your rate changes the answer a lot. July 2026 residential prices ran from 13.41 cents in North Dakota to 33.61 in California and 48.00 in Hawaii (EIA Table 5.6.A). Say you live in California: at its July 2026 rate, the Sun Home Pro's 8-hour figure becomes about $96.80 a month. The same tub in North Dakota comes to about $38.62 at July 2026 prices.
Search for what a cold plunge costs to run and you get one monthly number: $15 to $30 on one page, $20 to $50 on another, $50 to $100 in a forum thread. The two web pages don't say which tub, how many watts, or what electricity price they used. The forum post is priced at a California time-of-use rate of about 47 to 52 cents per kWh, more than two and a half times the national average.
What this means for you: trust a monthly figure only when it names the tub, wattage and rate, and work out your own from your bill. In the picks below, the 8-hour row at the July 2026 average runs from $22.76 (Renu's Cold Stoic 3.0) to $72.51 (the Finnmark SoulCold's web-page wattage), with the Sun Home Pro at $52.73.
If a hyperbaric chamber is on your list too, our guide to the cost of a home hyperbaric chamber prices its electricity at the same July 2026 rate: about $0.12 to $0.51 an hour on the makers' published watts.
Where the makers' numbers don't add up, and what to confirm before you order
Each gap below comes with the number to plan around, and the questions to send are at the end of this section.
Sun Home: three energy figures, about ten times apart
Sun Home's Technology page says the Cold Plunge Pro runs "approximately 1 kWh per day", which it calls "a manufacturer estimate that varies with ambient temperature, setpoint, insulation, and local rates." That's about $5.49 a month at the July 2026 average of 18.31 cents.
A Sun Home blog comparing chest freezers with purpose-built tubs puts a well-insulated 100 to 150 gallon plunge at "approximately 2-4 kWh/day" ($10.99 to $21.97). A third Sun Home blog, on hot weather, gives an example it labels "Illustrative range, not a measured figure": a 1 to 1.2 kW chiller running 8 hours a day uses "roughly 240-290 kWh" a month. By our arithmetic at the July 2026 average, 240 to 288 kWh is $43.94 to $52.73.
The conditions differ, so these aren't strictly the same claim. But 1 kWh a day needs very little running time. At the 1,200 W in Sun Home's manual, updated in October 2026, 1 kWh is about 50 minutes of full-power running a day. Sun Home's help center also says the Pro "is designed to run continuously."
Plan around the higher figures. The Pro's 8-hour row, $52.73 a month at the July 2026 average, falls inside Sun Home's hot-weather example, which also assumes 8 hours a day and which Sun Home labels illustrative.
Sun Home: a wattage that may describe an earlier build
The page that lists the 1,150 W figure also lists R410A refrigerant, while Sun Home's September 2026 spec sheet lists a Secop compressor with R290. The wattage may describe an earlier build. The current spec sheet gives "120V / 12A" and no wattage, and Sun Home's manual, updated in October 2026, gives "Rated Power 1,200 W" and "Rated Current 12 A."
Budget from 1,200 W, the rating in that manual, and ask Sun Home to confirm it for the unit you'd receive. For watts and amps in each mode, Renu publishes them for its Cold Stoic 3.0. Once Sun Home answers, rerun the formula with its figure before you order.
See the Cold Plunge Pro at Sun Home
Finnmark: the SoulCold's web page against its manual
The SoulCold page says "1650 watts". The manual's specification table says 1.06 kW input. Both list 15 amps. At 8 hours a day and July 2026 prices, that's the difference between $46.58 and $72.51 a month.
The same two documents also disagree on warranty length ("2-Year Warranty Included" on the page, "one year from the date of purchase" in the manual). Plan on the stricter numbers, 1,650 W and a one-year warranty, and keep them if Finnmark won't confirm the manual's 1.06 kW and the page's two years in writing.
Check the Finnmark SoulCold at SaunaKits
Polar Monkeys: a daily cost with no wattage
Polar Monkeys' blog says a chiller uses "roughly $0.50 to $1.00 of electricity per day" at an "average US electricity rate (~$0.16 per kWh)". That rate matches the 2023 national average (16.00 cents). At July 2026's 18.31 cents, the same energy costs about $17 to $34 a month. We can't check it against a spec, because Polar Monkeys doesn't publish the ChillX's input watts.
If a Polar Monkeys plunge is on your list, use that range for now and send question 7 for its chiller's input watts.
Plunge: savings with no baseline
The All-In page says "31% faster cooling using 50% less energy", and the Pro Chiller page says "35% more energy efficient, lowering costs". Neither page says compared with what, and Plunge publishes no chiller wattage for either one (the Pro Chiller page lists only its optional heater, at "1 kW"). So neither percentage can go into a budget. If a Plunge is on your list, send question 5 and run the formula on the wattage Plunge gives you.
Old electricity prices in the makers' own math
Redwood Outdoors works its costs from "¢15 per kWh", the 2022 average. Polar Monkeys and one Sun Home blog use about 16 cents, the 2023 average. Sun Home's hot-weather blog cites 18.8 cents, which matches the EIA's April 2026 figure, and rounds it to 19 cents in its dollar example. When a maker quotes a dollar figure, redo it at your own rate before you compare tubs.
The short version: budget the Sun Home Pro on 1,200 W and the SoulCold on 1,650 W, and get the rest in writing.
The questions to send
Send each maker its questions before you pay, and keep the written answers with your order.
- Sun Home, Cold Plunge Pro: Your Owner's Manual, updated in October 2026, gives "Rated Power 1,200 W," and your Information page still lists "Input power: 1150W" with R410A. Is 1,200 W the input wattage of the Pro you ship today?
- Sun Home: About how many hours a day does the Pro's chiller run with the cover on?
- Sun Home: Your Owner's Manual, updated in October 2026, says to drain and refill monthly, and the Version 3.0 manual still linked on your help center says twice a week. Does the monthly schedule apply to every Pro you ship?
- Finnmark, SoulCold: The product page lists "1650 watts" and the manual 1.06 kW input. Which is right, and is the warranty two years or one?
- Plunge: The All-In page claims "50% less energy" and the Pro Chiller page "35% more energy efficient." Compared with what, and what is each chiller's input wattage?
- Renu, Cold Stoic 3.0: What does the "5-Year Limited Warranty" cover, if the water chiller is "covered for 1 year"? And should a buyer plan on a 12-pack of filters a year, or a change "every 2-3 weeks"?
- Polar Monkeys, BlueCube, Ice Barrel, Morozko and Nordic Wave: What is the chiller's input power in watts?
Should you leave your cold plunge chiller on all the time?
The makers disagree, and none of them publishes how many hours its chiller runs either way, so it depends on who made your tub.
- Leave it on: Polar Monkeys says its chillers "are designed to run 24/7 for the best performance and energy efficiency". Ice Barrel says its chiller "is built for continuous operation" and there's "no need to manually turn it off between sessions."
- Idle it warmer: Redwood Outdoors tells Alaskan All-In-One owners to "leave your chiller on and running at ~60 °F, then set the temperature down to your desired temperature a few hours before your plunge."
Follow your own maker's instruction. If your maker says to leave it on, check the 8-hour and 12-hour columns, with nonstop as the ceiling. Either way, the cover matters. When we checked in September 2026, Renu sold its Cold Stoic 3.0 with a "Basic Tub Lid" and charged $400 more for the insulated spa cover.
So price every tub you compare with an insulated cover, and add it if it's extra.
How often should you change cold plunge water, and what does it cost?
As often as your maker's manual says, and on most schedules water is the smallest running cost. EPA's WaterSense program puts the 2024 national average at $7.74 per 1,000 gallons for water and $16.83 per 1,000 gallons for water plus wastewater. If your utility bills sewer on metered water use, each refill is charged at the combined rate even when the tub drains onto a lawn, so we use that rate below.
Find your tub, then read across to the yearly cost on its maker's own schedule.
| Model (gallons) | Maker's change interval | Per change, water + sewer | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plunge All-In (105) | Every 6 months with Plunge's chemicals; monthly without | $1.77 | $3.53 to $21.21 |
| Renu Cold Stoic 3.0 (up to 104) | "every 4-6 months or as necessary" | $1.75 | $3.50 to $5.25 |
| Ice Barrel 500 (94) | "every four weeks or as preferred" | $1.58 | $20.57 |
| Nordic Wave Viking (about 95) | "once per month" | $1.60 | $19.19 |
| Sun Home Apex (180) | Monthly | $3.03 | $36.35 |
| Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro (150) | Monthly, per Sun Home's manual updated October 2026 (its older manual said twice a week) | $2.52 | $30.29 |
That last row has changed. Sun Home's Pro User Manual (Version 3.0) says "We recommend emptying the water in the tub twice a week." Sun Home's manual, updated in October 2026, says to "Drain, clean, and refill the tub" monthly. That matches its Cold Plunge Pro Information page, which says the water "should be completely drained, tank sanitized/cleaned and refilled every month depending on usage." The older manual is still linked on Sun Home's help center, so go by the October 2026 one.
Confirm before you order: budget the Pro on the monthly schedule, $30.29 a year at EPA's rates as updated in February 2026, against $262.55 on the old twice-a-week schedule. If you keep plunging through freezing weather, the manual's winter method changes the water every 2 weeks while it lasts, about $2.52 a change. Question 3 above asks Sun Home to confirm.
At the other extreme, Morozko says its Ice Bath keeps water clean "without water stabilizers, added chemicals, or water changes." If that appeals, ask Morozko for its chiller's input watts too.
Filters, sanitizer and warranty: the other running costs
Filters and sanitizer come next, and the brand decides the size of that line. Filter prices and change intervals come from each maker's own store and instructions, and the yearly totals are our arithmetic.
Find your brand, then read the last column for a year of filters at the maker's own interval.
| Brand | Maker's interval | Per year, our arithmetic |
|---|---|---|
| Redwood Outdoors | Cartridge "typically lasts 6 to 12 months" ($49) | $49 to $98 |
| BlueCube | "replace it every 3-6 months" ($25 or $35 each, by cartridge size) | $50 to $140 |
| Plunge All-In | Filter "Once a month at Minimum" (12-pack $80) | $80 in filters, or $306 using two Non-Chlorine 6-month kits |
| Polar Monkeys | "about every 3 to 4 weeks" (Pro-system 12-pack $135) | $146 to $195 in filters, plus $338 if you use two 6 Month Sanitation Kits |
| Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro | "at least monthly - every 2 weeks if you plunge daily" (3-pack $49) | $196 to $441 |
| Renu Cold Stoic 3.0 | A 12-pack lasts about 12 months, per Renu's filter page; its FAQ says most owners change them "every 2-3 weeks" | $185 to $401 |
On the low end, filters and sanitizer can cost as much per year as the electricity. So compare tubs on a year of filters plus a year of power.
Warranty extensions are a running cost too. Renu advertises a "5-Year Limited Warranty" on the Cold Stoic 3.0, but its FAQ says the water chiller is "covered for 1 year", and the extended chiller warranty was $499.99 when we checked in September 2026. As of the same month, Polar Monkeys sold Chill+ Residential plans at $1,299 for 3 years and $1,899 for 5.
Ice Barrel's chiller carries a "1-year manufacturer's warranty", and its store lists third-party XCover plans. BlueCube's 5-year residential coverage requires a Service Plan whose price isn't published.
What this means for you: ask for the chiller's own warranty term in writing, and add any extension to your first year's cost.
Which cold plunge to get when you want to budget the bill
Get one whose maker publishes the chiller's input power, so you can run the formula before you order.
Picture a clear morning in late September, with dew on the deck boards and the sun just over the fence. The plunge sits on the circuit its manual calls for, the one your electrician ran before delivery. With the insulated cover folded back, you climb in.
Match your situation to a pick:
- You want the maker's own watts and amps for each mode, cooling and heating: Renu's Cold Stoic 3.0.
- You want a 150 gallon tub and can give it a dedicated 15 amp GFCI circuit: the Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro, rated at 1,200 W in its manual, updated in October 2026.
- You want the lowest listed price of the three as of September 2026: the Finnmark SoulCold, budgeted on its higher wattage.
- Your tub's maker publishes no chiller wattage: Plunge (All-In, The Plunge, Pod, Air, Pop-Up), Polar Monkeys, BlueCube, Ice Barrel, Morozko and Nordic Wave. You can still ask each one for the chiller's input watts in writing before you buy.
Renu Cold Stoic 3.0: the fullest power table, cooling and heating
Renu publishes the most complete power table we found: 518 W cooling and 1,013 W heating, with amps for each mode, plus separate figures for the Cold Stoic 2.0, Siberian Pro and Vero. At 8 hours a day of cooling, that's about $22.76 a month at the July 2026 average. When we checked in September 2026, it was sold from $11,399 with a basic lid, or $11,799 with the insulated cover.
- Best for: budgeting cooling and heating from the maker's own figures, 518 W and 1,013 W.
- Skip it if: you want the chiller covered past 1 year without buying the extension.
- Main compromise: a "5-Year Limited Warranty" that covers the water chiller for 1 year.
Its filter page and FAQ also disagree on the change interval, so plan on the FAQ's "every 2-3 weeks."
Ask Renu for a written quote with the insulated spa cover.
See the Cold Stoic 3.0 at Renu Therapy
Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro: 150 gallons, with a wattage to confirm
Sun Home is the only maker here that publishes both a wattage (1,200 W, in its manual updated in October 2026) and a daily energy estimate (about 1 kWh a day). At 1,200 W, that's about $52.73 a month at 8 hours a day and July 2026 prices. It showed $13,999 as a sale price on September 26, 2026.
- Best for: a 150 gallon tub, budgeted at 1,200 W and a monthly water change.
- Skip it if: you can't add the dedicated 15 amp GFCI circuit Sun Home calls for.
- Main compromise: Sun Home's own energy figures run about ten times apart.
Sun Home's manual, updated in October 2026, settles two older questions. It rates the Pro at 1,200 W, where an older page says 1,150 W, and it moves water changes from twice a week to monthly. Budget from those, and send Sun Home questions 1 to 3 before you order.
See the Cold Plunge Pro at Sun Home
Finnmark SoulCold: a full spec table in the manual, and the lowest listed price here in September 2026
Finnmark publishes a full specification table in its manual, including an 88 W pump. That's the only accessory load any maker here publishes in watts, so the SoulCold is the one tub where you can add the pump to the bill. SaunaKits listed it at $6,990 on September 26, 2026, the lowest listed price of the three tubs here.
- Best for: a smaller budget up front, planned on the higher wattage.
- Skip it if: you need more than one year of warranty in writing.
- Main compromise: its web page and manual disagree on wattage (1,650 W against 1.06 kW) and warranty length.
Budget from the higher figure, about $72.51 a month at 8 hours a day and July 2026 prices, and a one-year warranty, until Finnmark says otherwise.
Check the Finnmark SoulCold at SaunaKits
Before you order
- Check the circuit against your model's manual. Our cold plunge electrical requirements guide lists the circuit each maker calls for.
- Check the floor: the cold plunge floor load guide shows what a filled tub weighs on it.
- Find the chiller's input watts in the manual or spec sheet. If the maker lists only horsepower, BTU or amps, ask for them in writing.
- Run the formula at 8 and 12 hours a day with the price per kWh on your bill, and treat nonstop as the ceiling.
- Add a year of water and filters at your maker's own intervals.
- Price any warranty extension for the chiller. Plunge alternatives puts prices, warranties and return fees side by side.
- Send the questions above.
- Order the one that fits. For the fullest power table, ask Renu for a quote on the Cold Stoic 3.0 with the insulated spa cover.
- Or, for a 150 gallon tub on a dedicated 15 amp GFCI circuit: See the Cold Plunge Pro at Sun Home
- Or, for the lowest listed price of the three as of September 2026, budgeted at Finnmark's higher figure: Check the Finnmark SoulCold at SaunaKits
Common questions
Do cold plunges use a lot of electricity?
It depends on the chiller's input power and how long it runs, and most makers publish neither. For the models that publish a wattage, 8 hours a day of running works out to about 84 to 288 kWh a month, or $15 to $53 at the July 2026 U.S. average price, and up to 396 kWh ($73) on the higher of Finnmark's two figures. Sun Home estimates about 1 kWh a day for its Cold Plunge Pro, which would be about $5.49 a month.
Should I leave my cold plunge chiller on all the time?
Polar Monkeys and Ice Barrel say to leave their chillers running. Redwood Outdoors says to idle its Alaskan All-In-One at about 60°F and lower the setting a few hours before you plunge. Follow your maker's instructions and keep the insulated cover on.
How often should cold plunge water be changed?
Makers' instructions range from monthly (Sun Home's Pro manual, updated in October 2026; its older manual said twice a week) to every 4 to 6 months (Renu) to no scheduled changes at all (Morozko). At EPA's 2024 national average of $16.83 per 1,000 gallons for water and sewer, a 150 gallon tub costs about $2.52 to refill.
Your next step
Tonight, take the price per kWh from your last electric bill and run the formula for each tub on your list. Then photograph the outlet where the tub would go, and your electrical panel, for the electrician. Note whether the tub will live indoors or out. For the measurements to take first, in a cold plunge room or a sauna room, use the free Home Performance Room Planner.
Get the free Home Performance Room Planner
We read the makers' documents, EIA Electric Power Monthly Tables 5.3 and 5.6.A and EPA WaterSense rate data, checked September 2026. We did not meter or test these plunges, and this is general information, not electrical, code, financial or medical advice. Follow your maker's instructions and local code, and have a licensed electrician do any electrical work. Home Performance Guide earns a commission on some links here, at no extra cost to you (affiliate disclosure, editorial standards).
Get the Room Planner.
Thirteen measurements to take before you buy sauna or recovery equipment, with the manufacturer specs and code references behind each one. Free. Planning a golf simulator instead? There is a twelve-measurement golf planner too.
ABOUT
Verified buyer guides for home sauna, cold plunge and recovery equipment. Specs from the manufacturers, not from other blogs.