How does SaunaCost calculate electricity cost?

Session energy is nameplate kilowatts times hours (session minutes plus optional heat-up minutes). Cost is that kWh figure times your $/kWh. Monthly uses 52 weeks divided by 12. The calculator does not apply a duty-cycle discount, so many real meters will read lower.

What U.S. electricity rate is the default?

The default is $0.1834 per kWh — the U.S. residential average revenue per kWh reported by the EIA for June 2026. Replace it with the supply charge on your bill. Taxes, fixed customer charges, and time-of-use periods are not included.

Should I include heat-up minutes?

If your heaters run at full power before you sit down, turn the heat-up toggle on and enter those minutes. Infrared cabins often need less preheat than a traditional room. Leaving heat-up off bills only the session length — still at full nameplate watts.

Is SaunaCost affiliated with sauna brands?

No. SaunaCost is an unofficial electricity and purchase-amortization calculator. It is not Peak Saunas, SaunaAdviser, or any OEM or dealer blog, and it does not rate wellness or medical outcomes.

Unofficial · U.S. · electricity math only

Infrared sauna electricity & lifetime cost calculator

SaunaCost estimates kilowatt-hours and dollars from nameplate watts, session minutes, weekly use, and your $/kWh rate. Optional heat-up and purchase amortization. No wellness claims, no OEM affiliation.

Inputs

Use your rating plate and bill rate. Presets are typical nameplates, not a brand recommendation.

Sauna type

Traditional uses steam / electric-heater presets at 4.5–8 kW. Infrared uses cabin panel watts.

Heater power (watts)

Session length (minutes)

Sessions per week

Electricity rate ($/kWh)

Include heat-up at full power

Off: only session minutes are billed. Traditional rooms often need 20–40 minutes of heat-up.

Optional: purchase amortization

Spreads a purchase price across years or a lifetime session count. Not financing or resale.

Purchase price (USD)

Years of ownership

Or total lifetime sessions

Live estimate

kWh / session: 0.90 kWh
$ / session: $0.17
$ / month: $2.86
$ / year: $34.33

Shareable query params update as you type. Canonical site: https://saunacost.xyz.

Session: $0.17
Month: $2.86

How the estimate is built

Step 1. Choose infrared or traditional (higher-kW heater presets).
Step 2. Enter watts or kilowatts from the rating plate — or tap a preset.
Step 3. Set session minutes and sessions per week.
Step 4. Replace the U.S. average rate with the supply charge on your bill.
Step 5. Optionally add heat-up minutes at full power.
Step 6. Optionally spread a purchase price across years or lifetime sessions.

Full formulas and sources: methodology. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.

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