With a combination of pool products and good preventative maintenance habits, you can improve the heating and energy efficiency of your swimming pool. Variable drive pool pumps reduce utility costs.

Homes with pools use 49% more electricity per year. 95% of a pool’s heat loss occurs at the surface via evaporation. Here’s some tips to avoid this:

1. Use a solar cover to reduce water evaporation by 30-60%
2. Reduce heating costs by 50-70% According to the US Department of Energy
3. Reducing evaporation Reduces Chemical Use 35-60%

A variable speed pump can reduce energy use by 30-45%. That really adds up over a season. Reduce pump speed to reduce energy use. A slower pump reduces power consumption. A Heat Pump can save up to 80% in energy use compared to a gas heater.

To reduce utility costs from a pool heater, turn down the heater when not in use. Leave the pool around 78-80 degrees. Raising the temperature by just 1°F can costs an additional 10 - 30%.

Using a timer also helps reduce the amount of energy consumed by your swimming pool. Buy automatic timers for both your pool heater and pump. This will allow you to run them in several short cycles during the day, which is more effective than running them once continuously for several hours a day. Run your pool’s filtration system during off-peak hours when electricity demand is lower – generally between 8pm and 10am. For good water maintenance, circulate water through a filter only once per day. Additional cycles tend to waste energy.

Maintain efficient daily operations. Turn down the pool heater when the pool is not in use and maintain appropriate water temperatures when in use (78°-80° for active swimming, 82°-84° for recreational use). Raising the water temperature just 1°F can costs an additional 10 - 30%.

The sand in filters should be changed about every 5 years. When we upgrade pools it’s not uncommon to find filters with sand that hasn’t been changed in 10 years or more and is densely packed and no longer working effectively.

In all sand filters we replace the worn out sand with a recycled glass media. Glass is able to catch more turbid particles, thereby cleaning water more effectively and efficiently. This allows pool filters to be operated for fewer hours to achieve desired water clarity, thereby saving energy and equipment life. It also provides for more efficient backwashing which uses less pool water that has already been chemically treated, heated and filtered.

Install windbreaks around your pool. Wind can increase evaporation 300 percent or more, which wastes a lot of energy, much more than you may think.

Use Automatic Pool Cleaners: If your pool is equipped with an automatic pool sweep, operate it for three to four hours a day during the summer and two to three hours a day in the winter. Start the pool sweep 15 minutes or more after the filter pump is running and stop it 15 or more minutes before the filter pump stops. On unusually dusty days, increase cleaning time by half-hour increments until the pool is clean. Use a wall brush and leaf skimmer frequently to help the cleaner along.

Keep your drains clean and clear – The more debris that you have in your pools drains, the harder your pump and filter will have to work to move it through the system, thus using more energy. Clean them regularly to ensure your system is running efficiently.

LED Lighting: Color changing pool and spa LED lights are the most energy-efficient pool and spa lighting option available. Plus, they can last 30,000 hours or more, minimizing replacement cost and disposal.