We often hear in our showroom that all spas are the same, and that a HotSpring is just the same as the low quality imports that are prevalent in the NZ market, particularly from the online one man band importers. Unfortunately we see these spas a lot on trade me and we frequently trade these spas in when people realise the low price comes with poor insulation, high running costs, frequent break downs, poor water quality and non existent after sales service and parts availability.
The photos below show how poorly this spa is insulated. It has about 3cm of foam sprayed on the shell, nothing supporting the plumbing or shell, and the panels have some tin foil on the back of the panels.
This spa above was only a few years old when we traded it and is how most spas sold in NZ in 2024 are insulated. With rising power costs this type of spa should be avoided as the power consumption can often be $150 per month.
Contrast this insulation with one of our spas made in the 1990s below. Hot Spring Spas have had superior insulation and energy efficiency since 1990. Running costs for most our spa models are often 1/3 that of the other brands. Documented running costs are readily available. 
For more information on spa pool insulation types please visit https://www.spashop.co.nz/spa-pool-energy-efficiency/