Do Massage Chairs Use a Lot of Electricity?

A massage chair is a reclining chair with a motorized system that applies pressure to the body. The pressure can be set to any level and the chair can be programmed to apply a variety of different types of pressure, such as kneading, tapping, or rolling.

Massage chairs are these huge machines with lots of motors, heaters, and other moving parts. At a first glance they do not seem to be “energy efficient”, but do they really use a lot of electricity?

Do Massage Chairs Use a Lot of Electricity?

Massage chairs use a relatively low amount of energy when compared to other house appliances, with that amount varying depending on the brand and features of the chair. Nevertheless, the electricity used by your massage chair can be less than your personal computer.

In other words, owning a massage chair will not add a huge bump to your electrical bill. You can even use it daily and it would more than likely consume similar amounts of power as your coffee machine, sometimes as low as a lightbulb.

How Much Electricity Does a Massage Chair Use?

The average rate of electricity used by a massage chair is around 180-250 Watts. This, however, varies significantly based on the model of your chair, and on the features included. As some chairs can go as low as 100 Watts, and as high as 300.

When idle (or in standby mode), the chair uses less than 5 Watts while some models use no electricity at all. So you have nothing to worry about if you keep your electric chair plugged into the outlet.

How Much Does it Cost to Use a Massage Chair?

Given the average kWh cost in America of 14 cents, and assuming you use your massage chair for one hour a day for an entire year, it will cost you $0.04 a day and $15 for the whole year. If you add to that the added cost of leaving your chair in idle mode, it will be around $18 for the year.

Despite what you may think when you see a massage chair, the added cost of using it will not add a significant bump to your energy bill. We believe that $18 on average is more than worth it for your overall health.

What Does a Massage Chair Use Electricity For?

It might get tricky to figure out which part of the massage chair uses the most energy, as there are many complex bits and parts. In general, the motors are the main power consumer in the chair.

The motors power the rollers, which are the components that actually do the massage. As they move in multiple directions to soothe the aching muscles. The rollers act as human hands while you’re getting a massage from a massage chair. These rollers move following the track system, which in turn uses a fair bit of electricity.

Besides the motors and rollers, other components that use energy are Air compressors, a Heating system, LED lights, and the controller (which is a built-in computer). This list is not universal, as some models may have different features than others, and all of this affects the wide variation of electrical usage between models.

How Many Solar Panels Are Needed for a Massage Chair?

With the average solar panel producing around 370 Watts, you will more than likely be able to fully power your massage chair with one single solar panel. These numbers can change depending on how much sunlight you get in your area.

This is measured by a metric called peak sun hours, which refers to the intensity and period of sunlight in your area. This is different from state to state; the average peak sun hours per month in the U.S. is between 120 and 150.

How To Choose an Energy-Efficient Massage Chair?

Despite the electrical usage of massage chairs being relatively low, you can still take a few extra steps to make sure you get the most efficient model, that is perfectly suited for your own needs.

When trying to find the most energy-efficient massage chairs, there are a few key features that you should be aiming for.

For example, a good feature to have in your massage chair is Auto-off; which Automatically shuts down the chair after a custom set time of being idle. This helps you cut the unnecessary use of electricity while you’re not even using the chair.

Another great feature to look for in a massage chair is a Session timer. This feature lets you set a duration for your massage, making the chair automatically shut down when the set duration is over. This can come in handy for massage chair users who tend to fall asleep during a massage session.

Comparison Between a Massage Chair and Other Appliances:

Conclusion:

Some people might think that having a massage chair is just a gimmick, but there are actually many benefits to using a massage chair. For one thing, it can help reduce stress and tension in your back, neck, and shoulders. It can also help improve blood circulation which can have a positive impact on your overall health.

Compared to these huge benefits to your mental and physical health, the very low cost of running a massage chair for one hour a day is almost negligible.