Saving Money: Cutting Swimming Pool Pump Energy Costs

When asked why a family doesn't have a swimming pool, often you'll hear the same answer: cost. Buying a swimming pool is an expense all its own, but you have to add on top of it the maintenance supplies and chemicals, the fun items (because what good is a pool without a few toys?), and last, but most definitely not least, the electric bills. For many families, the electric bill is the deciding factor between owning a pool and going to a community pool every summer instead. And with rising energy costs, it's hard to blame them.

While you can't eliminate the costs of running your pool, you can minimize them. Most pools only require swimming pool pumps that are .75 horsepower or less. As swimming pool pumps are one of the top consumers of electricity at your home (following closely behind your air conditioner), it is important to ensure that your pool pump is sized correctly. If you can reduce the size of your swimming pool pump by even .25 horsepower, you should see a significant drop in your electric use.

If your pool water recycles only once every 24 hours, it should be okay. But you should make sure to closely monitor and adjust your chemical levels. It may surprise you to learn that many pool owners actually run the pump for much longer than they need to. Running your pump for only six hours a day is sufficient, though if you find that your pool water is balanced and still cloudy, you may consider adding a little extra time in short increments to help to create an optimal filtering time. You don't have to run your pool pump for the full six hours at one time. Consider running it for an hour or two in the morning, an hour or two in the mid-afternoon (or longer if that is when your pool sees the most energy), and an hour or two in the evening when things have settled down.