Are you planning a home sauna and trying to make a choice between an electric sauna and the infrared? It’s certainly not a simple question, nor a straightforward answer. But, if power consumption, electricity costs, and the environmental footprint are your key variables, then this calculator is for you.

Please note that no online calculator can give you a perfect answer. Every home sauna build is different. These two sauna types themselves are entirely different user experiences and temperatures, etc. If you happen to be wondering about the various sauna heater sizes, please see our sauna heater size calculator.

Infrared vs. Traditional Electric Sauna: Cost & Energy Calculator

Estimate monthly and annual electricity cost, kWh usage, and CO₂ footprint for both heater types

Common settings

Sessions per week 3

Electricity rate ($/kWh)

Grid carbon intensity (lbs CO₂/kWh)

Heater comparison

Traditional Electric Heater

Preset Small (1–2 person) – 4.5 kW Medium (3–4 person) – 6 kW Large (5–6 person) – 9 kW Custom Heater power (kW)

6.0

Preheat time (minutes)

35

Session length (minutes)

40

▸ Advanced: power draw by phase

Duty cycle during session (%)

50%

After preheat, the heater cycles on/off to hold temperature. Duty cycle = % of time it’s drawing power.

Infrared Sauna Cabin

Preset 1–2 Person – 1.5 kW 1–2 Person – 2.0 kW 3–4 Person – 3.0 kW Custom Heater power (kW)

2.0

Preheat time (minutes)

10

Session length (minutes)

40

▸ Advanced: power draw by phase

Duty cycle during session (%)

90%

After preheat, the heater cycles on/off to hold temperature. Duty cycle = % of time it’s drawing power.

Annual comparison

Traditional Electric

$0

0 kWh/year

Per session0 kWh

Monthly cost$0

Annual CO₂0 lbs

Infrared Cabin

$0

0 kWh/year

Per session0 kWh

Monthly cost$0

Annual CO₂0 lbs

Adjust inputs to see your savings

Side-by-Side Comparison (Annual)

Cost ($/year)

Electric: $0

Infrared: $0

Energy (kWh/year)

Electric: 0 kWh

Infrared: 0 kWh

CO₂ (lbs/year)

Electric: 0 lbs

Infrared: 0 lbs

Estimates based on typical residential heater specs and duty-cycle behavior. Actual results vary with insulation quality, ambient temperature, sauna volume, and local utility rates. Default carbon intensity (0.85 lbs CO₂/kWh) is a rough U.S. grid average — replace with your local eGRID subregion value for a more precise footprint estimate.