[quote=UCGal][quote=treehugger]Trying to figure out if it is worth it. We are in process of researching a pool, but not sure how the solar helps off-set the cost if the pool/spa heater is gas? From what everyone we have talked with says the new pumps are so efficient they don’t use a lot of electricity. I had thought a pool was expensive, but apparently only if I heat it?
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Maybe all my friends have older pump systems… It’s the pump costs that are the issue.[/quote]
Yep, it’s the pump that matter. When we first bought the house, it came with a 1.5HP single speed pump. So it always run at full power. During the summer, you don’t really want the water to sit idle mid-day. That’s just asking for algae to grow. So, you use a lot of power when you have to run ~6 hrs. durning the summer months. My first 2 months electricity bill was HUGE. I then immediately bought a variable speed pump. Now, I run my pump at slow speed (I think it comes out to be about 1/2HP) for 12 hrs. and I just A LOT less electricity. It’s only when I want to use to pool (heating it up to 90-93 degrees) where the bill went up. Not only because of the gas that’s needed to run the pool heater, but I need to turn on pool pump to Max power, so the water would turn over much quicker and the entire pool would be at the desirable temperature quicker.
To show you how little the new variable speed pool pump uses, during the months where I don’t use AC and have no Christmas lights, my usage is around mid 600kWh/month. With Christmas light, it jumps to 800kWh and during the summer where my AC runs 24/7 at 73 degrees, it gets to about 1100 kWh. Keep in mind that I have people home all day long and my computer is on 24/7 and my TV is on a lot too. I’m not sure how much you use, but my parents’ usage is in the mid 400kWh, and they only use power 3-5 hrs. during the weekday.
