6 Cost Effective Ways to Heat Your Pool

A backyard pool is a wonderful thing, especially when it’s exactly the right temperature. Heating a pool, though, can be expensive. Is it possible to save money and still have pool water that’s comfortable for swimming? Let’s look at some cost effective ways to heat a pool.

• Make the most of the sun. When you use solar heating to heat your pool, you’ll save money. Solar heaters provide an efficient way to heat a pool, but unfortunately, they’re expensive to install. What’s more, they may not meet your heating requirements for an entire season. For the highest efficiency at a reasonable cost, consider pairing a solar heater with a gas heater. The gas heater is expensive but reliable, and the solar heater will offset the cost.
• Throw on a blanket. There are many different types of pool blankets, and they prevent heat loss from evaporation. You can choose a solid blanket, a floating blanket, or even a liquid blanket! Solar blankets are the optimal choice, because they trap heat from the sun as well as preventing evaporation.
• Time your heater correctly. If your pool has a heat pump, the time of day that it runs is very important. Heat pumps get their heat from the air, so using them at the hottest part of the day is smart. You can adjust your filtration system’s settings to run during the heat of the day, and your pool heater will run when your filtration system runs.
• Consider the COP. Coefficient of Performance (COP) is a measurement of energy output divided by energy input. Does this sound confusing? It’s just the rating that tells you how much energy your heat pump will produce for the amount of energy that goes into it. When you’re shopping for a heat pump, buy the highest COP your budget will allow.
• Block the wind. One thing that promotes heat loss through evaporation is the surface area of the pool. When the pool water is calm, the water surface area is the same as the physical dimensions of the pool. When the wind whips up the water, though, the surface area increases because of the ripples and waves. This accelerates the rate at which the pool loses heat. Designing your pool environment with a wind block will reduce your heating costs.
• Be mindful of the temperature set point. Everyone has an opinion about the perfect pool temperature, but it pays to remember that the warmer you keep your pool, the more it will cost to heat it.

No matter how you heat your pool, when you need someone to care for it, Millennium Pool Service can help. With over 30 combined years of experience in the pool industry, we provide a comprehensive range of services for both residential and commercial customers in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. When you hire Millennium Pool Service, you get a well-qualified, industry-trained staff, services that are tailored to your needs, and a commitment to 100% customer satisfaction. Contact us for more information.