Canadian Spa heat pump & solar kit

Canadian Spa Company is a bit of an all-rounder. Its range runs from soft-sided inflatable and foam tubs right through to rigid, plug-and-play hard-shell spas — so a "Canadian Spa" in one garden can be quite a different beast from the one next door. If yours is one of the inflatable or foam models, this page is for you.

Those softer-sided Canadian Spa tubs are comfortable and well-appointed, but they share the same running-cost weakness as every inflatable on the market: a resistive heater. That's what turns an affordable tub into a pricey one to keep warm through a British winter — and it's exactly what our retrofit is built to fix.

Why Canadian Spa tubs cost what they do to run

The inflatable and foam Canadian Spa models heat their water with a resistive element — the same dependable, inefficient technology found across the inflatable market. Ratings vary by model, but these elements typically sit in the 1.5–3 kW band; check yours to be sure. Whatever the exact wattage, resistive heating runs at close to 100% efficiency, which means a COP of 1: one kilowatt-hour purchased, one kilowatt-hour of heat, nothing spare.

With the Ofgem price cap around 26p/kWh (Ofgem cap, Jul–Sep 2026), that's full price for heating from cold, for reheating after a soak, and for the standby warmth that trickles out through soft tub walls overnight. It's not a flaw unique to Canadian Spa — it's the resistive limitation the whole category lives with. (Their rigid hard-shell spas are a different design story, but our retrofit is aimed squarely at the inflatable and foam range.)

What a Canadian Spa costs to run

Canadian Spa doesn't publish one universal running-cost figure for its soft-sided tubs, and we won't manufacture one — it depends on your model, target temperature, how often you use it and how well it holds heat. As an industry comparator, here's what a competing inflatable brand quotes for a similar tub:

• Lay-Z-Spa's own figures: roughly £0.60–£1.70 a day, or about £18–£50 a month.

Take that as an optimistic manufacturer range rather than a guaranteed bill — genuine UK winter running often exceeds it. Whatever your real number, it's all being billed at COP 1 right now. Bring down the electricity needed for the same warmth and the cost follows. Our UK hot-tub running-costs guide unpacks what really drives that figure.

How our retrofit kit fits your Canadian Spa

Eco Hot Tubs makes a retrofit kit — a UK-built, efficient air-source heat pump, with an optional solar panel and battery — that bolts on to the inflatable or foam Canadian Spa you already own. You keep the tub, the liner and the fittings; we take over the heating.

• Heat Pump Only — £895. The efficient heat source on its own, for owners focused on lower grid running costs.
• Full Eco Conversion Kit — £2,195 (founder price £1,845). Adds solar and battery storage so more of your heat comes from the sun and cheap off-peak power.

It's a self-fit kit intended for the inflatable and foam Canadian Spa models. Because Canadian Spa builds such a broad range — including rigid plug-and-play spas the kit isn't aimed at — it's especially worth checking fit for your specific model before ordering. That's exactly what our reserve / enquiry process is for: tell us your model and we'll confirm the kit suits it before anything is dispatched.

Renewable heat for your Canadian Spa — safe, and no planning needed

A Canadian Spa deserves a heating upgrade that's as well looked-after as the tub itself. Our Full Eco Conversion Kit is built to run for years unattended, so protection is designed in from the start. The heat pump eases into every cycle with a gentle start-up, the electronics are guarded against power dips and spikes, and a hardware watchdog sits underneath it all as a last line of defence. The built-in battery is actively kept within its healthy range, so it ages slowly and stays reliable.

Just as importantly, it's simple to live with. The 610W bifacial solar panel mounts on an adjustable ground frame — no roof work, no scaffolding, and no planning permission to chase. You angle it to the sun and it harvests power all year, even through a British winter.

The result is a self-contained, self-protecting energy system that heats your Canadian Spa from your own sunlight first. Want to check it suits your model and garden? Get in touch and we'll talk it through.

The heat-pump efficiency story — honestly

The core idea is make versus move. A resistive element makes heat from electricity at COP 1 — full price, always. An air-source heat pump moves heat, harvesting warmth from the outdoor air and delivering it into your water. Since moving heat is far cheaper than making it, a heat pump can hit a COP of about 3–5 in milder weather — the same soak for roughly a third to a fifth of the electricity.

We're not going to gloss over winter. Colder air holds less heat to harvest, so efficiency falls — near freezing you're realistically at a COP of about 2–2.5, making COP 2–3 a fair figure to plan around for a UK winter, with better numbers in spring and autumn. Even at its coldest, it comfortably beats the resistive element it replaces.

With the Full Eco Conversion Kit, the battery lets you store solar during the day and cheap Economy 7 / off-peak electricity overnight — roughly a seven-hour window near 12.5p/kWh, about half the cap — then heat from stored energy instead of peak-rate grid power.

What will it save on my Canadian Spa?

Truthfully, it depends — on your model, tariff, temperature and winter — so a one-size "£X a year" would be invented. We'd rather give you a grounded estimate. We run this kit on our own tubs in the UK and monitor the measured performance, and we've built that experience into an interactive savings calculator where you can enter your own details and see a realistic figure for your Canadian Spa.

Not sure whether your model is a fit, or want to talk it through? Send us an enquiry and we'll give you an honest answer.

Hot water needn't cost the earth.

Canadian Spa is a trademark of its owner; we are not affiliated — our kit is simply compatible with it.

Canadian Spa retrofit — frequently asked questions

I've got a Canadian Spa — will the kit fit it?

It's designed for the inflatable and foam Canadian Spa models, not the rigid hard-shell plug-and-play spas. Since the range is so varied, we always confirm fit for your specific model when you enquire — that's the main reason we sell on a reserve basis rather than instant checkout.

How do I tell if mine is inflatable/foam or a rigid spa?

Broadly: soft, inflatable or foam-walled tubs you fill and can pack away are the ones this kit targets; solid, cabinet-style hard shells are the rigid range it isn't aimed at. If you're unsure, send us your model name and a photo when you enquire and we'll tell you plainly.

Is the heat pump still worthwhile in winter?

Yes, with the honest caveat that efficiency drops in the cold — nearer COP 2–2.5 close to freezing than the 3–5 of milder weather. It stays more efficient than resistive heating all year, and adding solar and battery to draw on cheap off-peak power helps most during the coldest months.