This article just might take your level of “Being Green” up a notch and help heat your pool efficiently and environmentally friendly. Our society as a whole has become more aware of the world and how our daily activities affect the environment as a whole. Most of us are joining in the movement of going green and doing our part to help the environment. Get ready to learn about the different options that are available for you in how you can become environmentally friendly with your swimming pool heating.
Option 1: Solar Covers
Solar covers are a great contributor to energy efficiency because they minimize the swimming pool’s heat loss. 75% of a swimming pool’s heat loss can be contributed to evaporation. By acting as a barrier between the swimming pool water and the air above, a solar cover minimizes evaporation and therefore reduces heat waste. You should really consider using a solar cover whenever your swimming pool isn’t being used, most importantly during the nighttime. With a solar cover, your swimming pool will only lose around 20% of its heat overnight, while without the use of a solar cover, it will lose at least 50% of its heat.
Option 2: Heat Pumps
Without sunshine, a solar heater isn’t able to collect enough heat and energy to warm your swimming pool proficiently. It’s might be necessary that you purchase an auxiliary heater to warm your swimming pool during the evening hours and on cloudy days. A heat pump is a great alternative and an energy-efficient heating option for your swimming pool. It transfers heat, rather than creates it. Shockingly, a heat pump is six times more efficient than a gas heater. Heat pumps collect heat from the air, which means they are much more efficient in the warmer air temperatures and hotter months of the year. So if you want to use your heat pump efficiently, use it during the hottest hours of the day to benefit from it the most.
Option 3: Solar Heaters
Yes, it is acceptable to use two heaters to heat your swimming pool! Solar heaters use solar panels to collect heat and energy from the sun to warm your swimming pool to your perfect temperature. They are extremely energy-efficient, since they use transferred heat instead of created heat. More so, they require minimal energy input as they operate in conjunction with your swimming pool pump. Solar heaters use a renewable, non-polluting energy source making them an essential part of creating an overall “green” swimming pool.
Option 4: Take Advantage of Floor Return Lines
Floor return lines are important to every swimming pool. Their essential function is to return water to the floor of the swimming pool after it’s been circulated through the swimming pool’s heater. Floor return lines differ from regular return lines. Regular lines return water to the surface, rather than the floor of the pool. Floor return lines provide energy-efficient heating by taking advantage of the fact that heat always rises.
The regular return lines only expel water to the part of the swimming pool that is already the warmest, which is the surface. When heat is expelled to the water’s surface of your swimming pool, it tends to remain there. So the normal return lines, only effectively heat the surface of your swimming pool, which doesn’t keep the whole pool regulated temperature wise.
On the other hand, when heat is dispersed to the bottom of the pool, which is the coldest area, it begins to rise towards the surface. As it rises, some heat is transferred to the surrounding areas of cold water. This means that floor return lines heat a swimming pool much more effectively than regular return lines.
If you have anymore questions on how to make your swimming pool more energy efficient, ask your pool technician or give us a call and we will be glad to help you get the necessary information and parts to make your pool as efficient as possible!