Cost-Efficient Ways For Melbourne Swimming Pool Heating

Swimming in a warm pool is a wonderful feeling, and while we hear from many pool owners in the cooler states and provinces that they really enjoy the experience of a warm swim from late spring or early summer through to autumn, the cost of Melbourne swimming pool heating can be a major downer, even with a highly efficient system.

There are clearly two factors here just like when heating a home. On one hand we need to consider how to reduce the cost of the energy used to heat the pool, on the other hand we need to consider how to reduce the amount of heat a pool loses and therefore needs. If it loses less heat in the first place, a pool will cost less to keep warm because it needs less energy to maintain a constant and comfortable temperature after the initial heat-up period. A Passive solar home design is always the cheapest to heat, environmentally speaking.

Each pool environment is different, so while the savings for each tip are universal in the scheme of things, they are not all universally applicable to a particular pool. Here are ten tips that will help save energy and money on pool heating costs and even if some will save more than others, each tip on their own will save on energy use to some percent – And as they say, there’s no such thing as a small economy!

Reduce Energy Use By Good Pool Design

When planning a pool, think insulation. All pool designs, including a natural pool or swimming pond, can benefit by incorporating some rigid panel insulation under the structure of a pool to save energy and costs in the long run. Regardless of where you are, the ambient temperature of the ground is pretty constant, and it is usually colder than the ideal temperature for enjoying a swim in the pool, so putting some insulation outside the thermal mass of the water retaining structure is a great first step in reducing the costs associated with Melbourne swimming pool heating over the long term.

Optimize Pool Mechanical Systems. A well planned pool pump and filtration system helps energy efficiency and saves money. Plan from the beginning for extra valves to be fitted in pipe runs so that additional pool heating systems like a heat pump or solar panels can be easily retrofitted or drained down for winterizing in the future. A little more thought at the planning and installation phase always saves money in the long-term – and let’s you fit the most efficient heating systems to your pool in the years ahead.

Pool location in the yard. Heat loss through evaporation is an interaction of water temperature, air temperature, humidity, and surface area of the pool. A flat, tranquil swimming pool will have a water surface area equal to the physical dimensions of the pool. Ripples and waves on the pool increase the surface area of the water exposing more of the surface to the colder air on all but the hottest days, but also accelerate the losses from evaporation.

Locating a swimming pool in an area that gets both sun and which is shielded from the wind is a huge win/win for Melbourne swimming pool heating and will be a great help in increasing solar gain while reducing heating requirements and the losses associated leading to higher energy use and costs.