Pool & Hot Tub Alliance

Over a decade ago, the California Energy Commission (CEC) established energy efficiency requirements that spawned the development of the 2014 edition of the ANSI/APSP/ICC-14 Standard for Portable Spa Energy Efficiency.

While California adopted most of the APSP standard, it did not adopt the full standard, which created confusion and compliance challenges.

Through collaboration between PHTA’s International Hot Tub Association (IHTA), portable spa manufacturers, the CEC, and other interested parties, a second edition of the APSP-14 standard was approved in 2019 and fully adopted by the CEC in 2021.

The CEC will require compliance with APSP-14 (2019) beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

“This marks an enormous step in eliminating the complexities that portable spa manufacturers encountered as they worked to comply with multiple regulations,” said Nathan Coelho, chairman of the IHTA Engineering Committee. “This will level the playing field in California, creating a uniform standard for manufacturers to follow.”

PHTA and IHTA continue to advocate for the adoption of this standard in all states, to ensure energy-efficient products are being provided to consumers and eliminate a patchwork of requirements from one jurisdiction to another.

“As more states adopt the APSP-14 standard for Portable Electric Spas, greater consistency will occur nationwide making it much easier to manufacture portable electric spas,” Coelho said.

View the latest updates on portable spa energy efficiency at ihta.phta.org.