When you buy a new house, and it has a swimming pool out back, it’s easy to imagine a lot of pleasurable times swimming with the kids, watching them enjoy fun times in the pool – can you say “Marco Polo?” But along with that fun, you want to stay energy efficient. So for those who might be new to a family swimming pool experience, here are 4 tips that can help cut down on the pool’s energy consumption:
Tips on Reducing Your Pool Energy Consumption
Use a Solar Cover
One of the biggest sources of heat loss from a pool is due to evaporation. Water runs through the pump and heating system to bring it to the proper temperature for your family to be comfortable, and then it evaporates. You’ve just wasted all that energy to process the water for your pool, not to mention the water itself. Solar pool covers work on a simple principle – by covering up the pool when it is not in use, the evaporation problem can be reduced by as much as 90%.
As well, a solar pool cover provides a natural heating method, raising the water temperature during the day, reducing heat loss at night. The simplest pool cover looks like a giant sheet of bubble wrap, and is manually spread over the water like a bedspread. Custom designed covers can be deployed at the push of a button. The type of pool cover you deploy will depend on your budget, but will substantially reduce energy costs.
Use an Energy Efficient Pool Pump
If your pump is about due for replacement, this is a perfect time to look into a better solution. The pump for the pool is like the engine for your car – you want both to be energy efficient. Consider asking a pool professional to give you suggestions for a pump that is rated for the size of your pool.
There are a staggering number of pool pump options, but making the correct choice when buying a new one will allow the pool owner to save energy for many years. Many times, older pumps were bigger than they needed to be – and less efficient. Replacement with a smaller and more efficiently operating pump can provide significant energy savings over time.
Install a Windbreak
You have a pool, and when the wind picks up, it blows across the family pool and water evaporates. It’s not time to deploy the solar cover, because the family wants to use the pool soon. Does the family pool have a fence around it? If you have small children, that was probably one of the first home improvement projects you undertook when you bought the home.
A windbreak can be easily installed on that fence, and over time it will greatly cut down water loss due to evaporation. We’ve all seen windbreaks on tennis courts – in that case they are keeping the wind from throwing off a tennis shot – but with the family pool, the goal is just to keep that wind from blowing across the face of the water, decrease evaporation and save energy.
Install a Pump Timer
Just like turning off the lights when you leave the room, a pump timer can provide tremendous energy savings. The concept is pretty simple – with an energy efficient pool pump, you don’t have to leave it running all the time. Typically the water in a pool can be circulated by running the pump only a portion of the day, and anything beyond that is just wasted energy.
A pool professional can help you determine how long each day the pool needs to run for proper circulation. Then a little experimentation will make sure you maximize that pump time. Set the pump to run for the rated amount of time for that size pool, then if the water stays clear and clean, cut the time down by about 30 minutes, then check to see if the water stays clean. In this way, you can make sure you’re getting the most out of that pool circulation.
As well, if there are price breaks for off peak hour usage of electricity, the pump can be set to run during those times. When the kids are indulging themselves in a “biggest splash” contest on the diving board, you can smile as you watch them, because you’re doing your part to keep that pool as energy efficient as possible.
Kaitlin Gardner started AnApplePerDay.com to further her passion for a family friendly, green living lifestyle.She is married to her college sweetheart and lives in Pennsylvania. She and her husband enjoy going for long hikes, to get out and enjoy nature. She is working on her first book about ways to live an eco-friendly, healthy, natural life.
Jen @ Go Green says
June 6, 2014 at 7:58 pmOne of the beat ways to reduce energy consumption is to get a variable speed pump. It ensures you are only using the energy you need based on time of day etc. Kind of like a smart thermostat in your house.
Anna@Green Talk says
June 7, 2014 at 10:53 amJen, which one do you have? I have a pentair model. Anna
jess says
February 20, 2017 at 3:56 pmCouldn’t agree more. Investing more money into energy-efficient variable speed pump means a lot less expenses on the long run, By the way, we also have a Pentair pump – Intelliflo model.
Cathy G. says
July 23, 2014 at 10:34 amHi Anna,
Great post! I just want to help promote variable speed pool pumps! I recently got one and love it. I have even written a little bit about it because my son convinced me to take my passion for green living and try my hand at writing about it. though it may not be the best quality here is my story about getting my variable speed pool pump.
I didn’t need any convincing to join the green movement. My contributions started out small: I ditched the plastic water bottle for a reusable water bottle, made the transition from standard light bulbs to high-efficiency, LED light bulbs, and tried to take my bike instead of my car whenever I could. While small, these changes yielded results! Not only did my monthly utility bills go down, but the increase in exercise made me feel great! So, I began considering other ways I could reduce my carbon footprint. I said goodbye to harsh chemicals and hello to eco-friendly cleaning products, started buying in bulk and taking shorter showers. But one of biggest switches I made (and also one of the easiest) was right in my backyard. Who knew?
It’s no secret, we Floridians love our pools. There are 14 on my street alone! So, at the start of pool season, I couldn’t help but notice swimming pool service trucks pulling up to my neighbor. When I inquired about it, she told me that she was exchanging her single speed pump for an energy-efficient, cost-effective variable speed pump.
A variable speed pump? What’s that?
I have a friend in California who is basically taught me everything I know about going green. When I gave him a call to see what he knew about this he said that he had just recently had one installed. A variable speed pump, when properly programmed, can be between 40% and 80% more efficient than a single speed pump. The difference in percentage is due to different pumps but more so because of the way it is installed by the technician.
So, I talked to him, did some research and talked to a couple of pool technicians. Apparently, unlike a single speed pump, which will run continuously, a variable speed pump will only work as hard as it needs to. Every pool is different and therefore has different needs. The average homeowner saves up to 60 to 70% on their monthly utility bill after making the switch from a traditional speed pump to a variable speed pump. Plus, a variable speed pump has a near-silent operation and a long service life. At this point, the prospect of getting one seems like a really good idea.
First however, I had an eco-friendly pool technician come to my home and performed a free home energy survey of my pool system, and with my electricity bill, he calculated what my pool system was costing me and what I would save with a high efficiency filtration. It was around.
The change I made may seem like a small “splash” in the grand scheme of things. But, multiply that small splash by 14 (that’s right most of the people on my street have got one or are getting one) and that small splash quickly becomes a small wave! Who would have thought that something as simple as a pool pump could make such a big difference?
Two things I highly recommend when you get a variable speed pool pump. 1) Get a reputable technician that is familiar with the technology because the pump itself will save you around 40% but it is the technical set up that will make it up to 80% or so. 2) Make sure they perform a free energy survey so you know how efficient the system should be and that they can give some form of a guarantee.
I got the work done by a person I met through my neighbor, who was a friend of theirs so I got the work done at a low rate. My friend in California got it done by Eco-Solar. That company services only northern Cali but they have a good website for both basic and technical information. http://WWW.ECOSOLARPOOLS.NET
Other sites I would recommend for research purposes are: http://www.pentairpool.com/pro.....mp-430.htm this is the company for my variable speed pump. But I’m sure there are many other quality brands out there.
Once Again, Great Article! lets all go green together!
Anna@Green Talk says
July 24, 2014 at 12:45 pmCathy, I actually own a pentair variable speed motor. Thanks the amazing comment. I save a ton with my variable speed motor.
Elden Gatley says
March 1, 2016 at 1:16 pmI think using a solar cover is a great idea. I had no idea it could reduce evaporation by up to 90%. I can see this as becoming a popular thing as the world becomes more aware of the need to conserve energy.
John Carston says
March 7, 2016 at 2:16 pmI’m always looking to cut costs and increase efficiency so I found this article on reducing energy consumption in my pool to be very helpful. I’ll be following your tips and buying a solar cover and installing a windbreak. I think I’ll need to repair my pool pump but I’ll have a pro look into that. Thanks for the article.
Bob Lowe says
April 1, 2016 at 4:44 pmThanks for the post. My parents have a pool and I can tell you that it isn’t cheap to heat. I can really see the importance in buying an efficient pool pump. Anything that can increase efficiency and decrease cost is a great way to live life.
Henry Cavendish says
April 23, 2016 at 3:17 amYou have shared really great ways of reducing the pool energy consumption. I was totally unaware of installing a pump timer and wind breaker can help in such nice way.
Kendall Everett says
August 22, 2016 at 6:38 pmUsing the proper pool pump is a great way to save energy on the pool. As you brought up, it’s important to find a pump that will work efficiently to help save you money. Asking friends what pump they with would also be a good way to find a pump that will work for your pool.
Kairi Gainsborough says
March 14, 2017 at 11:14 pmThanks for all the idea on how to increase the energy efficiency of my pool. We just moved into a house with a pool, but it needs some work. I like your suggestion for replacing the old pump with something more efficient. I already drive a reliable, energy conservative car, so I might as well look for the same thing with my pool!
Janelle says
August 9, 2017 at 1:46 pmGreat ideas! Do you know anything about liquid solar pool covers? They sound great in theory, but is the chemistry safe?
Anna says
August 9, 2017 at 10:31 pmJanelle, I have never heard of this. One site I read said that the cover only makes your pool about five degrees warmer. That same site said that it may cause eye and lung irritation in some sensitive people. I don’t know if this site is 100% reputable but I would definitely do my homework with this product. I would worry too about the chemicals. Anna
Janelle says
August 10, 2017 at 10:36 amIt seemed too good to be true! Thanks for your feedback!