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The Most Efficient Ways to Heat Your Swimming Pool
For most pool owners, the ideal swimming pool water temperature will be around 28°C. Swimming in water that’s any colder can be unpleasant, so to ensure you get the best experience and keep the swimming season going for longer, you’ll need a decent swimming pool heater.
The cost of running a pool heater will depend on which kind of heating system you have and as energy bills hike up, seeking more cost-efficient equipment is a priority for many. There are several ways to help you reduce your pool heating costs, including investing in highly-efficient heat pumps, solar pool heaters and solar covers to help you retain heat, to name a few.
If you’re looking to reduce energy bills and invest in a more eco-friendly pool heating method, your first port of call should be to consider investing in a heat pump.
Inverter heat pumps specifically are incredibly cost-efficient options. They work by drawing heat from the air and transferring it into your water, working with your pool’s filtration system for peak efficiency.
Heat pumps like this make the most of the energy that’s put in, meaning they have a far higher coefficient of performance (COP) than gas or electric pool heaters – however this isn’t to say that these more traditional heaters don’t come with their own host of benefits.
Generally speaking, swimming pool heat pumps have a COP of between 5 and 10, meaning that for every 1kW of electrical energy put into the pump, it can give between 5kW and 10kW of thermal energy out. Inverter heat pumps will have a slightly higher COP than on/off heat pumps.
This outstanding efficiency and amount of energy that you get out compared to what you put in essentially means you get a portion of ‘free energy’; whereas, when you use an electric heater, for every £1 you spend, you only get £1 worth of heat in return.
Because heat pumps work by using heat from the surrounding atmosphere, it makes sense to focus on running your pump and filtration system during the warmest time of day.
This ensures it is working at optimal efficiency and giving you the best possible performance by costing you less.
To make sure you don’t end up wasting energy, it’s essential you get the correct size heat pump for your pool. The main things you’ll need to consider are the pool’s volume and the climate or average air temperatures.
Read more about how to calculate what size heat pump you need for your pool in our guide.
To get the most out of your heater, no matter which kind you have, it is best to use a pool cover that helps retain heat and reduce heat loss due to evaporation. Maintaining the temperature of your water when the heater has done its job is imperative to ensure you don’t end up wasting energy (and money) heating it back up again.
Solar or bubble pool covers are particularly great options in this respect as they help lock in heat and reflect UV rays into your water, heating it further.
Our GeoBubble covers are excellent value for money as they’ll last 25% longer than other solar covers, making your money stretch that bit further. The 600M Gold GeoBubble solar pool cover, exclusive to 1st Direct Pools, is one of the best heat retention covers on the market.
A solar pool cover can also function as a protective lid to prevent debris from entering your pool.
Pool enclosures have a similar effect as they trap in heat by covering and surrounding your outdoor pool. Enclosures protect your pool water from the elements, helping reduce heat loss that can occur when it’s windy.
Coming in various heights, there are numerous ways to incorporate an enclosure into your pool setup. Take a look at our range of outdoor swimming pool enclosures to see if we’ve got a design to suit you.
Ultimately, being smart where you spend your money and investing in efficient heating methods for your pool will help you make significant savings long-term, providing a vital tool to combat rising energy prices.
At 1st Direct Pools, we offer some of the best prices around when it comes to pool supplies and equipment, ensuring every pool owner can find great value-for-money products that meet their needs.
