Whether you enjoy soaking on a crisp winter’s night, or relaxing your muscles after a long day’s work, hot tubs can be used year-round. It takes effort to keep them at the correct temperatures though, and the more a machine has to do to keep the water hot, the more energy is used. To keep hot tubs at maximum efficiency, they feature insulating foam toppers that trap warmth while keeping water free of dirt and debris. Due to their unique requirements, hot tub covers are almost universally made from polystyrene foam.

Polystyrene has many valuable traits that make it an excellent material for use in hot tub covers, but its most important is its insulation capacity. This closed-cell material has a high foam density as well as a strong R-value, a measure of thermal insulation, to help keep water warm. Polystyrene’s structure is water-resistant, which is vital in settings where water vapor could be easily absorbed by less resistant materials. All covers, foam or not, will need to be replaced eventually, but polystyrene offers the best return on your investment.

Polystyrene foam covers are easy to customize to the shape of tubs as well. With hot wire cutters, manufacturers can make replacement cushions in nearly any size or shape, very important for replacing the covers on custom tubs. With simple measurements, these manufacturers can easily produce custom covers for you. When properly sized and installed, a polystyrene hot tub cover will offer you increased energy savings and years of enjoyment.