What does a sauna cost? Electricity worked out from the heater
There is no official figure for a sauna. But the heater’s power and the time give a ceiling for the cost.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
There is no official figure for how much power a sauna uses, because it depends entirely on the heater, the size of the sauna and how long it is on. Energimarknadsbyrån’s basic rule still goes a long way: a 1 kW appliance used for one hour consumes 1 kWh. A 6 kW heater, an example you replace with the power on your own rating plate, that is on for 60 minutes therefore uses at most 6 kWh. In a house in Umeå on Umeå Energi’s grid, with Västerbotten’s reduced energy tax and the Statistics Sweden average variable price for SE2, a kWh costs 127.7 öre/kWh, and the session at most SEK 7.66. The thermostat switches the elements on and off once the sauna is hot, so real use falls below that ceiling. Two sessions a week come to at most SEK 797 a year.
Electric sauna: cost per use
SEK 7.66
SEK 797 a year at 2.0 uses a week
| All-in price per kWh | 127.7 öre/kWh |
| Energy per use | 6.00 kWh |
| Cost per week | SEK 15 |
| Cost per year | SEK 797 |
Assumptions
Energy = heater power × time switched on. The thermostat cycles, so real use is usually lower: treat it as a ceiling. The price per kWh is worked out as in the main calculator: your spot price, mark-up, Ei’s transfer fee for Umeå Energi Elnät AB, energy tax and VAT. Method and sources
The ceiling per session
| Heater and time | Energy at most | Per session at most | One a week, per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 kW, 60 min | 4.5 kWh | SEK 5.75 | SEK 299 |
| 6.0 kW, 60 min | 6.0 kWh | SEK 7.66 | SEK 399 |
| 6.0 kW, 90 min | 9.0 kWh | SEK 11.50 | SEK 598 |
| 8.0 kW, 90 min | 12.0 kWh | SEK 15.33 | SEK 797 |
The table shows the ceiling, with the elements on all the time. Once the sauna reaches temperature the thermostat cycles, and use falls. How far depends on insulation, size and how often the door opens, and there is no official standard figure to use. To know exactly, read the electricity meter before and after a session while nothing else large is running.
A sauna in the north and in the south
In Umeå, the reduced energy tax of 26.4 öre/kWh and the lower SE2 spot price make a session cheaper than the same one in southern Sweden. In SE4, with full energy tax of 36.0 öre/kWh and southern spot prices, the price per kWh is higher. Choose your own grid area in the calculator to see the gap, and read more in energy tax on electricity.
Heating up is the biggest part
The heater works continuously while it brings the room up from normal temperature. So a sauna heated for a short session costs almost as much as one left on a while longer, and several people bathing in turn share the same heating. A power charge, if your grid has one, is affected because the heater draws full power during exactly that phase; see power charges. Compare with the shower, which also costs electricity when hot water is heated electrically.