As a pool owner in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, your well familiar with the continuous cost of maintaining your inground swimming pool. Most just accept the costs associated with maintaining older equipment that might be outdated because your existing pump or heater still perform as they should. And, often we just accept the higher utility bills because we enjoy the luxury of our pool.
There are some ways to cut down on those costs and at Hawaiian Pools, your premier Ohio swimming pool builder, we are here to help you examine some of these.
A couple of the easiest ways to cut down on your expenses is to keep your filter is clean and making sure your pool chemistry is in balance. These easy tasks can help you save money on a regular basis, but we have a few additional suggestions.
Inground pool owners can take advantage of having an affordable solar panel heating system installed. If you have a sunny, southern exposure for 6 hours of daily sun, each 100 sq. ft. of solar panels can add 10 degrees to the pool, without burning fossil fuels, thereby reducing your utility consumption.
Swimming pool solar panels absorb heat from the sun as the pool water passes through a series of coils or tubes and transfer the heat to your pool water. Solar panels are daisy- chained, and come in sections, so you can add as many as you need. A small solar system can cut your pool heating costs in half and a larger solar pool heater can replace the need for gas or electric pool heaters.
Another way to cut your costs is with a heat pump. Heat pumps work like a reverse air conditioner, they capture heat from the outside air and transfer it to your pool water. That being said, they only work if the air temperature is over 50 degrees which may not be an issue for most fair-weather swimmers.
A pool heat pump can reduce your pool heating costs by up to 50% or more when compared to gas pool heaters, and tend to require less repairs. They are more expensive to buy than gas pool heaters, but can pay for themselves after just a few seasons. Heat Pumps often qualify for green energy tax rebates as well. With the addition of a controller that regulates the operation of your pump, you’ll see more savings on your energy bill.
Another way to save money with your swimming pool is to be diligent with swimming pool cover use. Using a swimming pool cover can help your water from evaporating, which saves on having to refill it. If you want to invest in a cover that can help trap and keep in the day’s sunlight, you want to make the investment in a solar cover or even a solar heating system.
With all of the new technologies hitting the market you may find even more ways to upgrade your swimming pool to bring greater energy efficiency. While there will always be an upfront cost for the energy efficient equipment, it will pay for itself in the savings on your energy bill.
