Warm up this winter — Your pool heating options explained.
Winter is fast approaching. The days are getting cooler, the mornings are brisk and we’ve ditched our summer PJ's for our uggies in the evenings. But just because we’re saying see-ya to Summer it doesn’t mean in winter we can’t enjoy all the activities that make summer so great.
We are all for getting the most out of your pool. To get more bang for your buck. And while you’re probably thinking that heating is going to add oodles to your electricity bill, there are lots of options to keep the costs low and the pool hot.
So close your eyes and picture this - It’s a clear and crisp winters day. Saturday afternoon and you’ve spent the morning at soccer with the kids. You come home to unwind in a beautifully toasty pool followed by a glass of red wine and marshmallows by the fire. Sounds pretty good right? It could easily by you. All you need to do is think about how you’d like to use your pool during the winter and while you’re having a think let me run you through your heating options.
1 | Solar Heating
Solar heating is a season extender and in warm climates can easily double a swimming season, extending it well into the cooler months. A solar pool is protected from increases in energy costs and provides you with years of warmer pool temps with no additional costs.
A great option for anyone looking for an extended swimming season with low running costs. You are at the mercy of the weather though - if there’s no sun, you’ll get little heat.
2 | Gas Heaters
Gas heaters are the most powerful of the bunch and are designed to heat a pool up to the desired temp in as little as 24 hours (that’s based on a temp rise of around 12-14 degrees).
A gas heater is most commonly used in a spa but has gained popularity for those not wanting to heat their pool all year round, rather every now and then when they decide to have a winter pool party and need to quickly up the temp!
3 | Electric Heat Pumps
If you’re wanting to set your pool to a nice and toasty temp and keep it there all year round, an electric heat pump is for you. They function like a reverse air conditioner, they extract large quantities of air from the atmosphere, gather the heat and transfer it to the water.
Heat pumps can provide energy to the pool that is many times that amount of energy they take to run - they can also be connected to off-peak or time of use electricity pricing which makes them a really economical choice.
We install lots of electric heat pumps. It’s what we installed in our pool. They work best with the addition of a pool cover so you avoid losing the heat overnight.
So there you have it. All your heating options explained. It’s also worth mentioning that we build heating provisions into all of our pools so a heater can be added at any time in the future. If you’re thinking about building a pool with heating this winter then please give us a call today.
