Want to reduce the cost of owning a pool? Use these tips to lower swimming pool bills by up to 50%
If there’s one thing nearly every pool owner wants, it’s to spend less on their swimming pool. From powering the pump and pool heater to stocking up on chemicals and managing repairs. Owning a pool can get expensive, and fast.
That much is true.
And if you’re like most pool owners, then you’ve probably tried to lower swimming pool bills before. But as you likely found out, that’s easier said than done.
Of course, with the right approach, lowering your pool bills is simpler than you might think. It’s all about where and how you concentrate your efforts.
In this post, we go over the 7 best ways to lower swimming pool bills. And if you’re not using any of methods in this post already, then get ready to see some fast results once you put them into action.
7 Best Ways To Lower Swimming Pool Bills By Up To 50%
Use a solar cover to stop losing heat
No matter how you’re heating your pool, keeping it heated is usually a top priority. And as you’ve noticed, keeping a pool at a consistent temperature is challenging.
Whether you’re combating cold weather or windy days, heat loss is a tough opponent to beat. But what might surprise you is how simple the solution is once you know it.
All you have to do is this:
Put a cover on it.
Using a solar cover is similar to covering a pot of food on the stove: it helps the contents warm up faster, and stay warm much longer.
And it also improves your pool’s heat retention by 75%. That means 75% less heat loss, which reduces heating costs drastically.
So if you want to lower your swimming pool bills, then a solar cover is a great place to start. Of course, how you produce heat for your pool is even more important.
Use a pool care schedule to reduce chemical use (and your workload)
How clean your pool is has a lot to do with how much time you spend on it per month.
Think about it:
The more you skim and vacuum, the less work your pump and filter have to so. And the more often you balance your water, the fewer chemicals you use per month.
And that’s why using a pool care schedule is one of the easiest ways to lower swimming pool bills.
Here are a few tips on how to make one:
- Choose at least 1 day for vacuuming per week
- Schedule 3 days per week for skimming
- Pick 1 day to shock the pool each week
- Set at least 2 days to test the water each week
Sometimes we forget to skim the pool or shock it at the end of the week. A few forgotten tasks later and suddenly the water is murky, and our cleaning duties are piled up.
Instead, use a pool care schedule to dominate pool maintenance and keep your system in tip-top shape. It’s the one surefire way to reduce chemical usage AND your workload.
[Get your FREE pool care schedule here]
Use an energy efficient pool heater for cost-effective heating
Are you using a gas or electric resistance heater to heat your pool?
If so, great! They both offer quick heating for your pool.
But there’s one important thing to consider:
They’re also the most expensive pool heating options by a large margin.
How large?
We’ll put it this way:
Using a gas pool heater costs up to 5 times more per month than using a pool heat pump
Which means using a pool heat pump costs over 75% less per month than gas heaters.
Which is why switching to, or choosing an energy efficient pool heater is one of the best ways to lower your swimming pool bills. Especially since heating/energy use comprises most of a pool owner’s swimming pool bills.
Related: 9 Ways Owning a Pool Heat Pump Improves Your Health & Your Life
Create a pool pump schedule to reduce energy use
Since we’re on a “schedule” kick, we might as well go the whole nine yards with it.
Another way to lower swimming pool bills is by creating a pool pump schedule. And doing that is simple:
Just pick a time frame to run your pool pump each day, and stick to it.
Of course, you might be asking yourself:
How long should I run my pool pump each day?
The answer: At least 8 hours every day
Although that might sound like a lot to some, it’s what ensures good circulation. And with good circulation, you don’t have to worry about murky water or algae attacks. All situations that require you to run your pump much, much longer. See the logic?
So then comes another questions:
When’s the best time of day to run a pool pump?
The answer: Nighttime, and here’s why…
Electrical companies charge you based on how much energy you use, and when you use it. But if you avoid peak energy use hours, typically morning to late afternoon, you can save a bunch.
When you run your pump at night you:
- Avoid peak energy use
- Wake up to a well-circulated water every morning
Switch to a variable speed pump to control energy use
If you’re using a single speed pump to heat your pool, here’s a valuable piece of advice:
Don’t.
Although reliable, single speed pumps are heavily outdated by today’s standard.
Much like their name implies, they provide only one pumping speed, which means a steady rate of power consumption, whether you need it or not.
Think about it. Is setting your home’s air conditioning to full power always a reasonable choice?
Of course not. Once your house is cooled, it’s just overkill that pulls on your wallet. Hence why most people take advantage of the different speed settings.
So why not do the same with your swimming pool’s pump?
By switching to a variable speed pool pump, you:
- Can choose different pump speeds to conserve power or increase water circulation
- Stop spending more than you should just to run your pump
Related: 21 Pool Care Hacks That Make Pool Maintenance Easy
Clean your filter at least once per month
When’s the last time you cleaned your pool filter?
If you can’t remember, then it’s probably overdue for a cleaning.
When you consider that your pool filter purifies hundred of gallons of water each day, it’s easy to understand why it gets dirty. And when a pool filter is dirty it not only increases your pool system’s pressure, but it also stops working effectively, making it harder for your pump to move water.
On the other hand, if you clean your filter at least once each month, you don’t have to worry about it clogging up and pulling energy resources.
Use automatic timers to stay on schedule
So we gave you all these tips about schedules and such, but what if you’re literally too busy to keep up with any of them?
Unless you’re ready to hire a pool service, chances are you need another solution for staying on top of these schedules.
In comes an automatic timer.
No, it won’t clean the pool for you, but it comes close to by letting you automatically power your pump/filter, pool heater, and other equipment even when you aren’t’ around.
Moreover, timers also help you prevent running your equipment too long by limiting when power is applied.
Time to lower your swimming pool bill!
By following the tips in this post, you’ll notice a significant drop in your monthly pool bills. Which means more money in your pocket and more time to enjoy refreshing swims. And who can say no to benefits like that?
From here, just pick one or two tips to get started on. Get them working for you, then pick two more to use.
Yup, it’s really that easy — and you’ll see the results fast.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
- 7 Cheap Ways To Heat Your Pool
- 21 Pool Care Hacks That Make Pool Maintenance Easy
- 11 Simple Ways to Automate Pool Maintenance
