Infrared sauna running cost: pence per session

An infrared sauna running cost is the cabin's rated power multiplied by the time it draws power and your unit rate. At the 26.32 p per kWh Ofgem average used here, a 1.5 kW cabin costs about 39.5 p for an hour at full rated power, and a 2.4 kW model costs about 63.2 p.

Peter F. used published UK public information, stated manufacturer ratings and arithmetic for this guide. There was no laboratory test of these cabins. The Ofgem rate is period-specific, and a product wattage applies only where a manufacturer states it. A qualifying purchase through a retailer link can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

In short

For England, Scotland and Wales, multiply the sauna's power in kilowatts by the hours used, then multiply by your electricity rate in pence per kWh. Use 26.32 p only as the Ofgem Direct Debit average for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your tariff may differ, and Northern Ireland sits outside that figure.

Write down rated input, normal warm-up time and normal session time before you compare models. A low wattage can still cost more across a much longer routine. Guides also diverge when the rate, the wattage or the session differs, such as 30 minutes after warm-up versus a full hour from switch-on.

The unit rate to use

The Ofgem price cap update gives an average Direct Debit electricity unit rate of 26.32 p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026 in England, Scotland and Wales. That average is a worked example for the cap period. Your latest bill or tariff page is the closer figure, particularly on a fixed, time-of-use or prepayment tariff.

A copied rate goes stale even when the arithmetic is right. At 25 p per kWh every unit looks 1.32 p cheaper than this example. At 30 p it looks 3.68 p dearer. Keep the consumption figure and swap only the rate when the cap or your tariff changes.

Use the unit rate for the extra cost of a session, and leave the daily standing charge in the whole-bill budget. Ofgem's average standing charge for the same period is 54.83 p per day. You pay it whether the cabin runs or stays switched off. Adding that whole charge to one session overstates what the session itself costs.

Turn watts into pence

The formula is power in kW × time in hours × unit rate in pence per kWh. Divide watts by 1,000 to get kilowatts. A 1,500 W cabin is 1.5 kW, and a 2,400 W cabin is 2.4 kW. Use the electrical input rating. A vague heating-performance line is a separate claim.

For a 1.5 kW cabin running for one hour, the arithmetic is 1.5 × 1 × 26.32 = 39.48 p, rounded to 39.5 p per hour. For a 2.4 kW cabin, it is 2.4 × 1 × 26.32 = 63.168 p, or 63.2 p per hour. These examples align with power ratings published for specific Hekla infrared sauna models. Apply them only where the product states that input.

Thirty minutes is 0.5 hours, and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours. At the example rate, 30 minutes at 1.5 kW costs 19.7 p and 45 minutes costs 29.6 p. At 2.4 kW, the same periods cost 31.6 p and 47.4 p. Those figures assume full rated power for the whole period. A thermostat may cycle the heaters once the cabin is warm, which can lower measured use. A cold room or a long warm-up can keep them on harder for longer.

Session length and preheating

A 30-minute sauna can still mean more than 30 minutes of electricity use. If you preheat for 15 minutes and then sit for 30 minutes, the timed period is 45 minutes. At full rated power, that makes the 1.5 kW example 29.6 p rather than 19.7 p, and the 2.4 kW example 47.4 p rather than 31.6 p.

Frequency turns a small session figure into an annual budget. If the 1.5 kW example runs for 45 minutes three times a week, the full-power estimate is about 88.8 p per week, £3.85 per average month and £46.18 per 52-week year. For the 2.4 kW example on the same schedule, it is about £1.42 per week and £73.91 per year. These are arithmetic projections at one unit rate. Heater cycling, room temperature and the rest of the home still sit on the meter.

If a control panel or light stays on between sessions, that draw sits outside the heater sum. Follow the manufacturer's switching instructions. A fraction of a penny is not a reason to bypass a required control.

Compare with a traditional sauna

Infrared cabins often carry a lower heater rating than a traditional electric sauna stove. Compare them on electricity across warm-up and use. A 6 kW stove and a 1.5 kW infrared cabin still need the same unit rate and a complete routine, because warm-up time, volume and session length can differ. Cost follows total kWh, so a low-powered heater run for much longer can approach a brief high-powered session.

Which? gives a Harvia example of 7–9 kWh over two hours for a traditional sauna. At 26.32 p per kWh that is about £1.84 to £2.37, from 7 × 26.32 p and 9 × 26.32 p. The figure belongs to that scenario. Another stove matches it only when it uses the same energy.

One hour at the full 1.5 kW infrared rating is 1.5 kWh, or 39.5 p at the same rate. A longer routine, a cold outbuilding or more frequent use can narrow the gap. Compare the routine you would actually use, and keep purchase price, space and installation as separate decisions. The infrared cabin comparison separates portable products from wooden cabins, and the infrared cabin buying guide covers what to check before a low advertised wattage becomes a buying advantage.

When the wattage is missing

If an amazon.co.uk listing does not state watts, you cannot produce a defensible infrared sauna electricity cost from the listing alone. The top pick is the CONLONS portable infrared sauna (B0DN68F85P), about £219.99, with 4.7 from 25 amazon.co.uk ratings. The SereneLife AZSLISAU10BK (B079QXK2TQ) is about £80.41. Neither listing stated a wattage suitable for this calculation. A generic 1,000–1,500 W range would turn an assumption into an apparent fact.

Ask the seller for the rated input on the label or in the manual, in watts or kilowatts. Temperature, heat levels and a low-energy claim do not replace that figure. If you only have amps, leave the session cost unset, because the same gap also affects whether the product suits your socket and circuit.

A fabric tent may be steam rather than infrared, and similar photographs can hide different heater ratings. A guessed wattage is a weak pence-per-session claim. Missing wattage does not show that the appliance is unsafe, and it does stop you checking the seller's running-cost claim.

Costs not to double-count

Leave the daily electricity standing charge off each session. It belongs in your whole-bill budget and remains due on days when the cabin is unused. If two people use the cabin one after another, allocating the same standing charge to both sessions makes that error larger.

Leave VAT as it already appears in the unit rate you pay. Use the pence-per-kWh figure from the bill consistently. If a business quotation explicitly excludes tax, clarify that with the supplier before you apply a household assumption.

Northern Ireland needs its own rate. Ofgem's 26.32 p average in this example applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate electricity market. The formula stays the same: replace 26.32 with the unit rate shown by your supplier.

Keep a high-load cabin off an extension lead chosen only to reach a convenient socket. The unit rate is the same on that socket, and a weak lead adds a practical risk. Follow the product instructions. If the supply, plug or circuit is unclear, ask a qualified electrician, and use when a home sauna needs an electrician for the planning questions.