Understanding the Heating Settings in SpaPilot
This article explains how SpaPilot controls spa heating based on electricity prices, water temperature, and the selected heating mode. Understanding these settings helps you manage heating costs while keeping your spa ready when needed.
How SpaPilot Decides When to Heat
SpaPilot evaluates several factors when deciding whether heating should start:
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Water temperature
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Electricity price
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Selected heating mode
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Planner settings
Depending on the selected mode, heating behavior may differ.
Planner Basic Mode
Planner Basic maintains the spa temperature while trying to avoid expensive electricity hours.
Heating starts when both conditions are met:
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The water temperature drops below the target temperature.
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The current electricity price is below the configured maximum price.
If the electricity price is higher than your limit, SpaPilot will wait until a cheaper hour becomes available.
Planner Basic does not use a fixed schedule.
Instead, the system continuously evaluates whether heating should start or wait.
Planner Dynamic Mode
Planner Dynamic is designed for planned spa usage.
You select the time when you want the spa to be ready, and SpaPilot calculates when heating should start.
The system prioritizes the cheapest available electricity hours before your planned spa time, ensuring the spa reaches the target temperature at the desired moment.
Heating Strategy
SpaPilot offers three heating strategies that control how closely the spa maintains the target temperature.
Priority
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Keeps the spa temperature closest to the target
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Heating starts quickly when temperature drops
Comfort
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Allows moderate temperature variation
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Reduces unnecessary heating cycles
Economy
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Allows larger temperature variation
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Maximizes energy savings
Important Principle
The price limit controls when heating can start, but it does not interrupt an active heating cycle.
If heating started during a cheap electricity period, the heating cycle may continue even if the price later rises above your configured limit.
This helps prevent frequent start/stop cycles and keeps the spa temperature stable.
Summary
SpaPilot manages spa heating by combining:
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electricity price data
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spa temperature
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heating strategy
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planner mode
This allows the system to heat the spa efficiently while avoiding unnecessary energy costs.