If you want to reduce the energy costs of operating your pool, there are certain things you can do that will decrease your energy consumption. Not only will decreasing your energy usage benefit you financially but it will also help the environment. A study done in 2008 by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that, with over 4.5 million residential swimming pools in the U.S., the total estimated energy costs related to these pools are between 1.1 and 1.6 billion dollars each year.
Even though you may feel that anything you do is infinitesimal and won’t make any difference, you are wrong. Even marginal reductions in wasted energy have a huge impact on the total energy used by the country as a whole.
Prestige Pools can help you with specific steps to take for decreasing the energy your vinyl liner pool uses. Here are 7 of the best ways you can make your pool more energy-efficient and eco-friendly.
Use a Variable Speed Pump
A variable-speed pool pump is much more efficient than cutting your pump off for a specific length of time during the day. In effect, a variable speed pump can efficiently move water in 128 hours for the same amount of energy 8 hours of regular pump run time uses. You can see savings of $300 or more from ENERGY STAR-certified variable speed pumps. You may also be interested in the fact that a variable-speed pump also decreases greenhouse gas emissions.
Reduce Evaporation
Evaporation is one of the biggest factors in the amount of energy consumed by the pool–it counts for 70% of the total energy lost for both outdoor and indoor pools. If you can reduce the amount of evaporation, you can decrease the amount of energy used. Since evaporation occurs at the pool’s surface, eliminating the exposure to the wind and sun improves the rate of evaporation. Such actions as using an automatic pool cover and/or creating a natural windbreak are very effective.
Install a Pool Cover
Installing a pool cover is maybe the best way to reduce evaporation, even better than natural windbreaks. When the pool is not in use, a cover greatly reduces both the water and heat loss so that the pool systems use less energy. There are several options in pool covers from simple to solar to automatic.
Create a Natural Windbreak
A natural windbreak is another very good way to decrease the amount of evaporation from the pool. Remember, the water that evaporates from the pool’s surface has already been heated, so you are wasting the energy that has been used. Planting a hedge using bushes, shrubs, and/or trees can create a natural block for the wind and, therefore, help with heat and water loss. Other solutions include creating a berm or building a solid fence around the pool.
Use an Efficient Heater and Filter
Make sure that the heater has appropriate BTUs for the size of your pool. If it is overworking, you are spending more than you should. Also, check the size of your filter. It needs to be large enough that the pump isn’t overworked. A larger filter has a bigger surface area through which the water flows, so the pump doesn’t have to work as hard to move the same amount of water. Using a large filter can also lengthen the life of the pump, which also saves you money in the long run.
Maintain the Cleaning System
Keep your pool’s cleaning system in proper working order. A pool with a clogged filter from leaves and debris doesn’t work as efficiently as it should. Clean the leaves out of the pool, wash down the sides and the bottom to loosen and eliminate debris so the filtration system can do a better job. Other maintenance such as backwashing the system and manually cleaning debris from the pool pump ensures that everything is working efficiently.
Choose a Darker Finish
Darker colors absorb the sun’s rays, which then help to heat your pool. Using a darker finish for the pool will keep heating costs down.
Turn Off the Heater When Not Using the Pool
When you are going away for more than just a few days and won’t be using the pool, turn the heater or heat pump off (unless you expect freezing temperatures).
Use Solar Heating Technologies
Solar technologies create energy from the sun, as we know, making them perfect for your pool. Such items as solar heaters and solar covers (also called solar blankets) absorb thermal energy from the sun to warm the water. Solar heaters use panels to collect the sun’s rays and convert them into electricity. They heat your pool during the day as well as through the night. Solar heaters are great, but a solar blanket can be the one improvement that has the highest return compared to the cost. A solar blanket can reduce the amount of wasted heat energy your pool loses by over 90%. Not only will you reduce heat loss using a solar blanket, but you also reduce chemical use and water evaporation. Seriously, with these savings, you should definitely look at using a solar cover.
Contact Our Custom Pool Specialists Today
Our team of professionals at Prestige Pools is experienced in the best ways to make your pool energy-efficient and eco-friendly. We can help you decide which steps you should take. Give us a call at 919-779-1033 or complete our easy-to-use form below.